A Harry Potter book bought for a tenner in 1997 by a Derbyshire mum after watching TV’s Blue Peter has sold for tens of thousands of pounds at auction.
Nearly 30 years ago retired nurse Christine McCulloch, 64, enjoyed watching the children’s show with her son, Adam, and daughter, Rachael. They saw author JK (Joanne) Rowling being interviewed about her new book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and Joanne mentioned it was popular with both boys and girls.
Consequently, Christine snapped up a copy for Adam. She paid around £10 at a bookshop in Kenilworth during a holiday to Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. Little did she know she’d bought him what would become one of the most valuable books in the world – the rarest and most sought-after Potter tome.
It’s a Philosopher’s Stone first edition, one of only 500 hardback copies published in the first Potter book print-run in 1997. It marked the start of the Potter phenomenon. It achieved a premium-inclusive total of £45,000 (£36,000 final bid) in the world’s first dedicated Harry Potter sale at Rare Book Auctions, Lichfield, Staffordshire. (November 27, 2024).
Seller Adam McCulloch, 35, a musician and marketing manager from Tansley, Matlock, Derbyshire, said: “We’re thrilled by the result and now have some media appearances to look back on as a family too! It has been lovely sharing the story.”
Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said: “It was a fantastic price for a Philosopher’s Stone hardback first edition that wasn’t in pristine condition. But I think author JK Rowling would rather see a book that’s been read, re-read and enjoyed than an unread copy.”
Adam said: “Mum liked Blue Peter as a child and used to watch the show with us. I was seven, just about to turn eight, when we purchased the book on our family holiday with my dad to Stratford. Mum thinks she paid the standard retail price, about £10.”
Christine McCulloch said: “I remember the joy of buying the book from a nice independent bookshop. I recall the window display to launch the book was so well done, and it caught my eye. I was thrilled to hear that the independent bookshop on the same site – Kenilworth Books – is still serving the community and maintaining that fine tradition. We shall definitely have to pay them a visit!”
Adam said: “For a time the book ended up in a cupboard under the stairs in our old house in Chesterfield [Derbyshire] – like Harry Potter! I did have the luxury of an actual bedroom but kept some things in the cupboard under the stairs, including the book. It always felt a bit precious. It’s a good job as it could easily have been among the books passed along to friends or family as I got older.
“The real moment of discovery about its value came during lockdown in 2020. I was living in Sheffield and my sister and mum were back home in Chesterfield. They’d seen stories about first editions and, because we’d never really checked, followed steps laid out by books expert Jim Spencer in an article explaining how to identify a first edition.”
Christine continues the story: “The excitement my daughter Rachael and I had when checking the book was really something. We sat together at the dining table, enjoying a G&T with a home-grown lemon. We had to double-check a few times before contacting Adam.”
For Adam, it was a surreal experience in strange times: “I don’t know if it’s because I spent so much time reading it as a child, but it’s odd to know that out of all of the books I read, this one could spark such interest.
“But then I think back to how I raced through the book – I was the perfect age to be transported by it – and the buzz and clamour for the next stories in the series, queueing to get a copy so I could find out what happened before somebody at school gave away the ending. I guess it’s a little like seeing The Beatles at the Cavern Club and thinking, ‘Ah, four nice lads from Liverpool making some racket’ before they become the biggest band in the world.
“For years we thought we’d misplaced its dust cover – until found out it never had one. It was only through the media focus, usually featuring Jim Spencer, that we realised there was no cover with the first edition.
“A big part of my reason for selling was because the funds will allow me to spend more quality time with my partner, Jen, and my family. I want to give mum some new family memories. We enjoy visiting Northumberland, so a trip to Alnwick Castle, the filming location for Hogwarts, would be an apt way to celebrate! I also plan to grab lots of books for my nieces, Olive, Isla and Elle, so they, hopefully, will turn into bookworms like their Uncle Ad!”
Jim Spencer said: “I love the fact this first edition was bought by chance for all the right reasons, and thoroughly enjoyed in the first wave of Potter excitement. The stories have helped millions of children learn to love books. The find also reminds us of the power of Blue Peter. The show’s 1997 TV interview with JK Rowling, then a budding author aged 32, is on YouTube and it’s fascinating to watch.
“Another near-fine hardback first edition of Philosopher’s Stone achieved £64,000 (£80,000 including buyer’s premium) in the same sale. It was a very small specialist auction – just 13 lots – but the combined hammer total was £151,720. Bids were pouring in from all over the world.”
Auction: The Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, first edition, first issue, hardback, London: Bloomsbury, 1997, Lot 2, sold on November 27, 2024 at Rare Book Auctions, Staffordshire.
Enquiries/valuations/consignments: Jim Spencer | [email protected]
Rare Book Auctions, 3 Wade Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6HL
Website: www.rarebookauctions.co.uk
