Thieves take £60,000 original Harry Potter story on a postcard
A UNIQUE handwritten Harry Potter story, bought at a charity auction for £25,000, has been stolen in a burglary, raising fears that thieves will dispose of it without realising its worth.
The 800-word prequel, written on a postcard by JK Rowling to raise money for charity, was taken along with jewellery from a safe in a house in Birmingham, while its owner says he was away on a Bangkok business trip with Steven Seagal, the actor.
Rowling herself has issued a plea to Harry Potter fans not to buy the work, which is the only handwritten copy in existence.
Its owner, who bought the story at a 2008 auction in aid of English PEN, a writers’ network, was in Bangkok when he received a phone call from his sister to say there had been a break-in.
Thieves stole three safes stored at the house, which contained jewellery with links to his late father and the ordinary-looking A5 postcard with the story by Rowling.
The businessman, who asked to be known only by his first name of Hira, said he believed the “horrible” crime was opportunistic, fearing the people who stole it would just throw it away.
“I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan,” he admitted. “But I took good care of it. The card never came out of the box. It’s shocking for this to happen.”
Sold for £25,000 at the time, the postcard is now thought to be worth up to £60,000. West Midlands Police have appealed for information about the theft, which happened between April 13 and 24. They say they hope the appeal “goes far and wide among Harry Potter fans throughout the world”. Pc Paul Jauncey, the investigating officer, said: “The only people who will buy this unique piece are true Harry Potter fans.
“We are appealing to anyone who sees or is offered this item for sale to contact police.”
Rowling shared the message with her 10 million Twitter followers, adding: “Please don’t buy this if you’re offered it. “Originally auctioned for @englishpen, the owner supported writers’ freedoms by bidding for it.” Speaking from his Birmingham home, the 47-year-old owner, who runs an investment banking consultancy, said: “I was away on business in Bangkok with Steven Seagal when the house was broken into.
“They pulled out three safes and one of them had the prequel inside. I’m not sure if it was targeted to take the story. It seems more opportunistic. It’s a oneoff item and I had responsibility for it.
“That unique piece of work could just be destroyed.”
The story is set three years before Harry Potter’s birth, and features the schoolboy wizard’s father, James Potter, and godfather, Sirius Black, when they were teenagers.
The story was later printed in a run of 10,000 copies, which were sold in bookshops, becoming the fastest selling short story of all time.