How much is my Harry Potter book worth

In the late 90s shortly after the first release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a journalist called Nick Reynolds interviewed an author and single mother called Joanne Rowling.

After meeting her in a cafe, he skim-read the book and threw it away. Yes, he’s the man who threw away a first-edition copy of one of the most popular books in the world; one of around 200 hardback copies.

Nobody showed an interest in the book to begin with and J.K Rowling's pitches were rejected 12 times by publishers.

However, Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book and 500 hardback copies were published, 300 went into the British library system, and the other 200 were sent out to spread the word about the young wizard. There were also around 1000 paperback copies printed.

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How Popular is the Book?

As you probably already know, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has sold millions of copies worldwide. It’s the third best-selling book of all time. And considering it was only published just over 20 years ago, that’s an impressive stat.

Is My Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Book Worth Anything?

Technically, all Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone books are worth something. However, that value will be determined by what print you have.

For example, if you have one of the first printed issues, you could sell it for a large sum. If you have a standard copy, you’ll be able to sell it for some cash.

Collectors are often captured by the rags-to-riches story and ‘just another kids’ book’ that was attached to the book at the time. Also, Rowling’s books sell so many copies now that they’re unlikely to be rare.

Book buying works on supply and demand - while there’s a demand (although it has dropped in the past few years) for first print Harry Potter books, first print supply is low. A large percentage of 120 million Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone books sold will be standard copies, so prices won’t be as high.

How to Tell if You’ve Got a First Print Version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Firstly, we need to distinguish between ‘edition’ and ‘printing’. If a second edition of a book is released, it will have a change in the plot or extra information added (this is why textbooks have numerous editions).

Whereas a printing is where a publisher prints a certain amount of books to be sold, but the author needs more, which would be the second printing.

So, how do you tell if you have the first printing?

1. The Wendy Cooling quote at the bottom of the front page - 1st-2nd printing hardcover and 1st-5th printing paperback.
2. Look for the number rundown on the copyright page; it should read 10 down to 1 - with 1 meaning it’s the first edition.
3. The author’s name will read Joanne Rowling and the illustrator’s name won’t have a space before the date. Both on the copyright page.
4. On page 53 ‘1 wand’ will be listed twice in the ‘other equipment’ section. However, this does appear in later printings.
5. On the back of the book, the blurb will read ‘Wizardry and Witchcraft’ as opposed to Witchcraft and Wizardry.
6. On the back cover of the first printing, ‘Philosopher’s’ is spelt ‘Philospher’s’.
7. There’s no dust jacket on the hardcover - the book didn’t have a dust jacket until the third printing.

It’s estimated around 1000-1500 second printings were made within a week of the first printing. All second printings amended the above errors.

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How Much Is a First Print Worth?

The first printed Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Books are guaranteed to be worth something, the price will depend on the condition of the book. Copies in ‘fair’ condition could fetch up to £4000. Two books sold for £9000 pounds in 2007, and one sold for £43,750 in 2018.

In recent times, a copy sold for £68,800 at Bonhams Auction House, London, and a Bargain Hunt episode showed a copy of the book going for £28,000.

We Love Our Signed Version

We’ve been lucky to find a version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone book that was signed by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. It looks great next to our Harry Potter Pop! figure, but it will be going to auction at Mallams at the end of February, so watch this space!

Sell Your Harry Potter Books to We Buy Books

If you've got a collection of Harry Potter books you don't want, it's a great time to have a little clear out and generate some cash in the process.

Here's how to do it:

1. Enter the ISBN number into our price generator or use the We Buy Books app to scan your books for faster checkout.

How do I know if my Harry Potter book is valuable?

Which editions of Harry Potter are valuable?

How do I find out how much a book is worth?

How do I tell if I have a first edition Harry Potter?