Rare misprinted 'Harry Potter' proof hits the auction block

The Manila Times

Rare misprinted 'Harry Potter' proof hits the auction block  An uncorrected proof copy of J.K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" is slated to be auctioned off by Heritage Auctions.  The book represents the first time Harry Potter was introduced to the world in print, making it a sought-after piece for avid Potterheads and collectors.  The book is being sold by British business owner, Dale Henry, who plans to use part of the proceeds to revitalize a nearby town whose tourism-centric economy has been hit hard by Britain's recent economic downturn.  In 2021, a first edition of the same title auctioned for a staggering $471,000. However, this uncorrected proof copy is rarer still, as only 200 were ever printed.   REUTERS VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe    Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews #harrypotter #heritageauctions

Transcript

00:00The major misspelling that was caught in this uncorrected proof copy and fixed in the first

00:21editions is, um, Rowling's name is misspelled on the title page, so it's given as J.A.

00:29Rowling, so obviously the A should be a K and it's missing a period.

00:35The author's name is given as Joanne Rowling.

00:38In later editions, it's corrected to J.K.

00:40Rowling.

00:41There is a little space missing between Thomas Taylor, who did the design on the covers.

00:46Famously, probably the most notable misprint that carries over into the first edition,

00:52and of course is present here in the uncorrected proof, is on page 53 under the equipment that

00:58a Mr. Harry Potter needs.

01:01It says one wand, and it's duplicated twice, one at the top of the list and one at the

01:04bottom of the list.

01:05Okay.

01:06I don't know why.

01:10Well, the estimate was technically $5,000, um, but there's really no way to predict what

01:26kind of price something like this will bring.

01:29I've sold a couple before, but everyone is different because condition matters so much,

01:33and Harry Potter has just exploded in popularity.

01:37So the current bid is, I want to say, $12,500, and I expect it to go higher before the live

01:46auction on Thursday, next Thursday, July 25th.

02:08So there are a lot of numbers associated with, um, the first edition, first printing.

02:13There were about 200 made of these, the uncorrected proof copies, um, proof as in, you know, rough

02:20draft.

02:21Um, a little further on than rough draft, I mean, it's obviously gotten to the printing

02:24stage, but uncorrected meaning that they're still looking for typos, editing errors, um,

02:29that they're eventually going to correct and put into the first edition.

02:34There are two kinds of first editions of the first edition, first printing.

02:38There were about 5,600, um, first editions, first printings made, 500 in hardback, and,

02:47um, about 5,100, 5,100 in, um, the illustrated wrappers.

02:53So the wrappers of the first edition don't look like this.

02:55Um, you know, they have kind of the famous Harry Potter on, um, platform nine and three

03:00quarters with the Hogwarts Express in the background, um, but there are only about 200

03:06of these, the uncorrected proofing wrappers.

03:18You know, there really isn't one, um, I'm fairly familiar with, um, with the collecting

03:25community and Harry Potter, and it's very diverse.

03:28You have, you know, people who are, you know, about my age, a little older, a little younger

03:33who read it as a child, who are, you know, just love it, fell in love with it.

03:36And then there are, um, kind of older collectors who love the nostalgia, who collect children's

03:41literature.

03:42Um, so it's, it's pretty wide ranging.

04:03Thank you.

04:04Thank you.

04:05Thank you.

04:06Thank you.

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