First edition Harry Potter book donated to charity shop could fetch up to £10,000 at auction

A first edition Harry Potter book could sell for up to £10,000 at auction after it was anonymously donated to a charity shop.

The copy of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone was given to the RSPCA shop on the Isle of Wight and will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Staffordshire on February 26.

The auction house’s Harry Potter books expert Jim Spencer valued the copy at between £7,000 and £10,000 thanks to its “exceptional condition”.

Mr Spencer said: “The only minor flaws are a couple of lightly folded corners and the usual light browning to page edges.

Hansons books expert Jim Spencer with the Harry Potter first edition (Hansons/PA) PA Media

“It would be very difficult to find another copy that’s as well-preserved as this one, so it deserves to set tails wagging at auction.”

Rebecca Busby, from the Isle of Wight RSPCA branch, said the book had been given to the shop by an anonymous donor as a possible first edition.

“One of our volunteers, who is an avid Harry Potter fan and book enthusiast, checked for all the well-known markers and noticed this book had them all.

“She called me and I could hear her excitement as she said ‘I can’t believe it, we have a Harry Potter first edition, it’s in the best condition I have ever seen’.”

The funds of the sale will go towards the branch and among the beneficiaries will be an 11-month cockapoo-type dog named Harry in need of rehoming.

A first edition of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone was auctioned for £10,500 in July last year, while a pristine first edition copy sold for £69,000 in March 2022.