When you take a look at the list of most valuable books out there, you will figure out that the Harry Potter books are on that list as well. This might even surprise you because you can see all the Harry Potter titles among some of the oldest and rarest books available out there. Along with this, you will come across the need to figure out why Harry Potter books are so valuable.
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What is the average value of a Harry Potter book?
There are copies of the Harry Potter book, which can even become worthy as $50,000. The exact value of the book would vary depend on numerous factors. Shapero says all these fantasy novels were written by JK Rowling in between 1997 and 2005. Out of those books, some of the copies are signed by the author. Those books are more valuable when compared to others. Even the hardcover Harry Potter books are more valuable than others.
Average prices of Harry Potter books
Here are some of the average prices of Harry Potter books available for purchase out there. We will also share the reasons on why those books are so valuable. Based on these facts, you will be able to go ahead and determine the value associated with each and every book.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the very first Harry Potter book to be published. This book was published in the year 1997. This is the UK edition of the book. The hard cover first editions of this book are extremely valuable. In fact, you can even call first edition books of them as the most valuable Harry Potter books available for purchase as of now. That’s because only 500 copies of this book were published in the first edition. Out of those 500 copies, around 300 copies were donated to the libraries.
It is quite easy to figure out the first edition books. If you can take a look at the copyright page, you will be able to see the sequence as 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Moreover, you will be able to see the name of the author published as Joanne Rowling, instead of JK Rowling.
The average price of a first edition hard cover Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone book is around $40,000 to $55,000. There are some advance proof copies of the book available for purchase as well. These copies are worth around $7,500 to $13,500.
Even the first editions related to the deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone book are valuable. These books were published back in the year 1999. A copy of that book will be worthy from $450 to $2,500. The price will increase depending on the overall condition of the book.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the US version of the book. First edition hard cover variations of this book are relatively more valuable than others as well. For example, a first edition printing will be worth around $6,500. There are some decent quality books available for purchase around $4,000 to $5,000. Most of these books are signed by the author. The books that don’t have the signature of the author are priced relatively lower.
When you take a look a look at the first edition books of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, you will be able to see the sequence “1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 01” in the copyright page. In addition to that, you will also be able to see the wordings “First American Edition” and “October 1998” in the books as well.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second book of the Harry Potter series. This book was initially published in the year 1998. The price associated with a Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets hardcover book will go all the way up to $9,000. Back in the year 1998, J.K. Rowling was not the most popular author in the world. She had some success with the first book, but she was still struggling to secure her position as an author. Due to the same reason, the Harry Potter, and the Chamber of Secrets first edition books were printed only in a small quantity. Some of these books even have the signature of the author.
A Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets first edition hard cover book that has the signature of JK Rowling will be worth for around $9,000.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban book, the printed name of the author was changed to JK Rowling from Joanne Rowling. Due to the same reason, the very first hardcover print was stopped midway as well. However, few books were released to the market under the name Joanne Rowling. These books are more expensive when compared to others. For example, the average price of such a book is around $1,500. Few of these books were signed by the author as well. Those books have a value of around $12,000.
In the first edition Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban books, you will be able to see the number sequence on copyright page as 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. On top of that, you will also be able to see some misaligned text on the seventh page of the book. This makes the book valuable as well.
Final words
Now you are aware about the reason on why Harry Potter books are so valuable. Before you buy a Harry Potter book into your collection of valuable books, you should take a look at these facts and make sure that you do the right thing.