Harry Potter first edition found in Scottish attic could sell for £10,000 at auction

Unread 1997 Harry Potter first edition with signature printing errors heads to Rare Book Auctions in May

A first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone discovered in a Scottish attic is expected to sell for between £7,000 and £10,000 at auction after remaining unread for nearly three decades.

The paperback belonged to Katrina McNichol, 53, who received the book in the late 1990s while working as a magazine book reviewer in the Scottish Highlands.

According to McNichol, the copy was packed away unread among other review materials and later rediscovered while clearing out her Edinburgh loft.

“I genuinely forgot it existed,” McNichol told the Daily Record. “When I came across it in a box 30 years later, I did a double-take. It felt surreal.”

The book was originally sold for £4.99 in 1997 when Bloomsbury released the first edition of J.K. Rowling’s debut novel. Initial print numbers were limited, with only 500 hardback copies and slightly more than 5,000 paperbacks reportedly produced.

Collectors value the copy because it includes several well-known first-edition printing errors. These include a missing “o” in “philosopher’s” on the back cover, a reference to “Wizardry and Witchcraft” instead of “Witchcraft and Wizardry,” and “1 wand” appearing twice on page 53.

Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said the condition of the book makes it especially notable.

“Many were passed among friends, squished inside school rucksacks, splashed with orange squash, and scribbled with doodles, but this example has been perfectly preserved in a time capsule. It is as good as the day it was made.”

The online auction, hosted by Rare Book Auctions, a division of Hansons Auctioneers, closes on May 20 2026.

McNichol said, “The book deserves to be with someone who truly appreciates what it is, a small but genuine piece of publishing history.”