Harry Potter is one of the most beloved book series of all time, sparking a massively successful film franchise, a popular theme park, spin-offs and stage productions, and lifelong devotion from millions of fans around the world, and it all started with the love and hard work put into the story by author J.K. Rowling. However, as any writer could tell you, sometimes mistakes happen when putting pen to page and those errors can occasionally be overlooked by editors. Such is the case for an old copy of the first Harry Potter novel that has a spelling mistake so rare, it is worth nearly $20,000.
The novel in question is an "Uncorrected Proof Copy" of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, one of only 200 printed by Bloomsbury in 1997, per the Mirror. What stands out about the copy is that there is a major misspelling on the inside cover. Rather than "J.K. Rowling," the author's name is written as "J.A. Rowling" as well as her first name "Joanne" being used.
The rare work was purchased for about 13 pence, or about 16 cents, from a secondhand bookshop in 1997 as a "throw-in" with a couple other novels for less than a dollar total and proceeded to sit unread for decades.
"It ended up stuck behind a shelf in my bedroom until, for no good reason again other than the fact that my kids were turning into Harry Potter fans, I went looking for it," they said, adding, "I was bored one night and scrolling on the internet when a story popped up about the incredible prices achieved for Potter books."
The owner ended up selling their copy for £14,432 (about $18,301) on Monday (February 26) after a private buyer in the United Kingdom made the winning bid at Hansons Auctioneers at Bishton Hall.
Hansons' book expert Jim Spencer confirmed the extraordinary value of the rare work and said that the original purchase of just a few cents perhaps had "a touch of Potter magic."
"This book so deserved to do so well. This proof copy is where the Harry Potter phenomenon began. This is the very first appearance in print of the first Potter novel," Spencer said, adding, "The author's signing tours, the midnight queues outside bookshops, the movies, the merchandise — it all stems from this."