A Harry Potter first edition found in a Scottish attic could sell for $13,000 at auction

by

A first edition copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in perfect, unread condition is up for auction. Originally costing just £4.99 (around $7) when it was first published in 1997, experts now estimate it could sell for between £7,000 and £10,000 ($9,000 and $13,000). The book has remained untouched in storage for almost 30 years.

Katrina McNichol, age 53, owns the book. She got it in the late 1990s when she was a book reviewer for a magazine in the Scottish Highlands.

She hadn’t had time to read every book she received, so she put them aside and moved them with her over the years. She finally came across the collection again while cleaning out her attic in Edinburgh.

Why this copy is so valuable

Honestly, I’d completely forgotten about it! I was going through some old boxes after about 30 years, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw it. It was such a weird, unreal moment – like finding something from another life.

When Bloomsbury published the novel in 1997, they initially printed a small number of copies – 500 hardcovers and a little over 5,000 paperbacks – because they didn’t expect it to be very popular.

This copy includes the well-known printing errors that first-edition collectors prize. These include a missing letter ‘o’ in the word “philosopher’s” on the back cover, a swapped title referencing “Wizardry and Witchcraft” instead of the correct “Witchcraft and Wizardry,” and a duplicated item – “1 wand” – appearing twice on page 53.

Jim Spencer, from Rare Book Auctions, told The Mirror that while most copies of this book have seen a lot of wear and tear – being carried in backpacks, stained with juice, and covered in doodles – this particular copy is in amazing condition, as if it were brand new.

Just a heads-up for anyone interested – the online auction ends on May 20, 2026! It’s being run by Rare Book Auctions, which is part of Hansons Auctioneers, and they’re based in Lichfield. I’m really hoping to snag something good!

McNichol explained that the book should go to someone who really understands and values it as a unique and historically significant item in publishing.

This isn’t the first time something from pop culture has sold for a huge amount of money at auction. Earlier in 2026, a copy of Action Comics #1 that once belonged to Nicolas Cage went for a record $15 million, making it the most expensive comic book ever sold.

Read More

2026-05-17 20:18