A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, complete with peeling edges, worn sides and typos, is expect to make between £20,000 and £30,000 at auction this Thursday.
The book from the first round of printing is one of just 500 copies in existence. It's described on auction website Forum Auctins as an "ex-library copy" with "spine ends and corners bumped", "laminate peeling" and "chipping to joints".
Despite this, it is described as "still a very good, bright copy, preserved in a fine example of a later dust-jacket".
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The lot notes also call it "rare in any condition and a far better ex-library copy than usually encountered". The Mirror report that of the 500 rare copies printed, 300 were thought to have gone to libraries.
If you're thinking, wait a sec, I definitely have a really, really old copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone knocking about somewhere, then you could be sitting on a goldmine, but there are a few things to check first.
First, you can spot one of the ultra rare versions by looking at page 53. In a sentence descripting the list of things Harry should bring to Hogwarts, "1 wand" will appear twice.
Next, you should look for the print line that should read '1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'. This is a line of text located at the bottom of the copyright page of books. Your rare edition will also credit "Joanne Rowling" instead of JK on the title page.
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If you book matches up to the above, you're laughing at this point. While it's not yet known how much the first edition will go for on Thursday, two years ago one sold for more than £60,000.
The most ever paid for a Harry Potter book at auction is £1.95million. A copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, of which there are only seven copies in existence, had been expected to sell for just £50,000 in 2007 for raking in the massive sum.
But if you don't hold a coveted first edition, don't let your hopes be dashed too soon. Less rare editions are still selling for anything between £20 and thousands depending on factors like their condition and print run.
This evening's task: dig out old Harry Potters.
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