If you are under the age of 25, you probably grew up alongside Harry Potter. If you are over the age of 25, you probably read Harry Potter to someone as they were growing up. Either way, you won’t have failed to notice the massive cultural phenomenon of the Harry Potter franchise, from books to films to studio tours. The books have been translated into at least 73 other languages and printed in multiple editions.

If you bought the first edition of the first book, you might be unwittingly sitting on some money. Like the transfiguration charms that make objects change shape, over time the first editions have become increasingly valuable. Only 5,150 copies of it were printed at first, so if you have one tucked away on your bookshelves, you might be in for a nice surprise.

There are two ways to check if your copy is a first edition:
1. The rear cover will have a picture of a youthful Dumbledore on it. Not the jolly man with the big white beard that we have come to know and love, but a rather dashing gentleman with a brown beard.
2. Look at the seventh line on the publisher’s imprint page (that everyone skips to get to the good bits of the story). First edition copies have a typo on this line: a space is missing between “Taylor” and “1997”.

We are always looking to buy first editions of Harry Potter, so get in touch if you have one! We might be able to work some magic with it.