The first edition is one of just 500 identified by two errors in the book’s text.
A rare Harry Potter book bought for £1 at a table top sale has fetched £28,500 at auction.
The 1997 first edition of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone – JK Rowling’s debut novel and the first in the popular children’s series – was bought on the phone by a private UK collector.
Sold on the author’s birthday on Wednesday at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire, the hard copy is from a print run of just 500 identified by two errors in the book’s text.
The seller, a 54-year-old office worker who did not want to be named, said: “I can’t believe it. It’s what I’d hoped for but I never really believed my book would make that price.
“I knew another Harry Potter first edition had sold for £28,000 but I was panicking as there had been no bids prior to the sale. When I checked to see if it had sold, I was amazed.”
The former Staffordshire Library book, stamped in red ink with “withdrawn from stock” on the inside, was bought by the owner at a table top sale around 20 years ago.
Published by Bloomsbury on June 30 1997, the first edition can be identified by a misspelling of philosopher’s on the back page and a double mention of “1 wand” on page 53 in an equipment list.
Jim Spencer, head of books and works on paper at Hansons Auctioneers, said it was “pure luck” that the auction was listed on the birthday of the author, who gave her fictional character Harry Potter the same birthday.
He said three phone bidders had battled it out to buy the rare edition, which was left in a cupboard in the owner’s home before being valued by auctioneers.
“When our client bought the book for £1 all those years ago, no-one realised what a huge impact the Harry Potter stories would have globally,” Mr Spencer said.
“The majority of the books in that first print run went to schools and libraries. They are extremely rare.
“This is a landmark in children’s literature, but it appeals to young and old.
“Everybody knows this book. This is the holy grail for so many collectors.”
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Joan Laporta was reelected as the president of FC Barcelona for another five years after winning a leadership vote among members of the Spanish soccer powerhouse on Sunday.
Shortly after midnight in Barcelona, the club announced Laporta had won.
His only rival, Víctor Font, had earlier conceded defeat and congratulated Laporta “for his unquestionable victory." Laporta received nearly 68% of the votes with 75% of them counted.
The club said that more than 48,000 of Barça’s 114,000 club members cast ballots at Camp Nou Stadium or at four other voting stations across Catalonia in northeastern Spain and in Andorra.
Laporta successfully presided over Barça from 2003-10 during the glory years of coach Pep Guardiola and a young Lionel Messi.
He was voted back into his post in 2021 when the club was in a dire economic situation after the lavish spending on players by president Josep Bartomeu and the financial hit of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Laporta responded to the crisis by deciding Barcelona could no longer afford Messi, who left for Paris Saint-Germain, and selling off some club assets, including 25% of its Spanish league TV rights for the next 25 years.
The club’s debt, however, has increased under Laporta, growing from 1.3 billion euros to over 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) under his watch.
Font’s campaign tried to paint Laporta as an irresponsible manager who had ruined the future of the club, but Laporta won over more club members with his message that he had saved the club from ruin and now needed another term to finish the job.
Laporta, 63, was helped by the strong performance of the team under coach Hansi Flick and the emergence of a new star player in Lamine Yamal.
He defended his financial management by highlighting that the club has lowered its spending on player wages and boosted its revenues. The increase in debt was also partly due to a long-overdue renovation of Camp Nou, the largest soccer stadium in Europe, which will boost revenues once complete in the coming months.
Barça’s club elections have many of the trappings of a real political election, with a long campaign that was intensely followed by Barcelona’s fans in Catalonia and the local media.
Coach Flick and several players of the club's men's and women's soccer teams and its other sports teams, which include basketball and handball, cast ballots at Camp Nou on Sunday.
The election took place on the same day that Barcelona's men's team beat Sevilla 5-2 to retain its lead of the Spanish league.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Candidate, Joan Laporta, center, reacts during early voting projections for the election to be president of FC Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Candidate, Joan Laporta reacts during early voting projections for the election to be president of FC Barcelona soccer club in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Fans of Barcelona's team cheer during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Sevilla in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Joan Laporta, center, reacts as he poses with players Gavi, left, and Ronald Araujo after the voting for the election to be president of FC Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Candidate, Joan Laporta reacts during early voting projections for the election to be president of FC Barcelona soccer club in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
