A tattered and torn first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” sold for $33 million at a recent UK auction by Ryan & Turner. The book, gifted to Holly Haggard 26 years ago, was in poor condition due to being passed around amongst friends at a boarding school.
Despite its shabby state, the book’s rarity as one of only 500 first edition hardbacks printed, coupled with its confirmed authenticity, made it a valuable item.
Haggard plans to use her earnings to buy a new edition of the book to gift to her cousin who gave it to her as a gift two decades ago.