Wand-erful! £33,000 for Potter book found in skip

A TEACHER who picked out a rare Harry Potter first edition from a skip has sold it for £33,000 at auction.

She rescued the hardback edition of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone along with four other Potter books back in 2008 because she could not bear to think of them going to landfill.

The Buckinghamshire school had thrown them out because they were showing signs of wear and tear and staff had wanted the library to look pristine for an Ofsted inspection.

After taking the books home the 65-year-old grandmother who does not

Ed Chatterton

wish to be named put them in the loft. She assumed the novels by JK Rowling would not be worth much because they were littered with misspellings and typos.

But she got in touch with an auction house last year after seeing a TV show about a Potter first edition that sold for thousands.

The woman said: “I love books and it seemed awful to throw them away.

“I thought they might be useful for my grandchildren in the future. It was better than seeing them go to waste. I had no idea they were of any value and neither did the school.

“They’d been well read, and the school always ensured its library was pristine for Ofsted.”

She added: “I think the school originally had 10 Harry Potter hardback first editions. I don’t know what happened to the other nine.”

Hansons Auctioneers, which featured in the TV show, put an estimate of £20,000 on the hardback, which was one of 500 made.

Their mistakes were corrected in future editions.

Jim Spencer, head of Hansons’ Library Auction, said: “Hardback first editions of Philosopher’s Stone are as rare as hens’ teeth. They’re the holy grail for collectors.

“I put on a humble estimate due to some damage to the binding, but I always thought it might surprise us.”

After an international bidding war, the book went to a private UK buyer.

The seller’s two Philosopher’s Stone paperback first editions fetched £3,400 and £3,000 while her first editions of Chamber Of Secrets and Prisoner Of Azkaban made £360 combined – taking the total windfall to £39,760.

Wizard find...the first edition