How to Identify a First Edition Harry Potter Book and How Much are First Print Harry Potter Books Worth?

Do you own an old copy of Harry Potter? If you do, maybe it could be worth more than you thought. When it comes to the value of your Harry Potter books there are several factors to take into consideration i.e. how old it is, what condition it's in, how many copies were sold, and of course, which edition/print run the book came from. In this blog, we are taking a deep dive into the world of rare and valuable Harry Potter books from the very first edition of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone to the rarely seen signed copies of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.

So, sit back and relax as we explore some of the rarest Harry Potter books that have collectors everywhere casting “Accio” in every bookshop, car boot sale, and auction house in the country.

Remember to take some notes so you can see if you have any of the rare Harry Potter books in this list just hanging about on your shelves.

(Readers note: Throughout this article we will be referring to 'first printing' and 'first impressions'; these phrases refer to books that are part of the very first print run after the title's publication. 'First editions' however, refer to the version of a book, so a second edition of a book may have had some changes to the cover art or content of the book compared to the first edition. There can be multiple print runs of the first edition of a book. Check out our blog for more information on how to find the edition of a book)

Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone

It was on one sunny day in late July of 1997 that the world got its first taste of the magical world of Harry Potter. This was the start of a novel series that would take the world by storm, quickly being adapted into a record-breaking blockbuster film series.

Since the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as it's known in America), J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become the world's best-selling book series ever! With a total of over 600 million copies sold worldwide. So, it will probably come as no surprise that the first print run of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is now seen as the 'Elder Wand' of Harry Potter books and sought after by countless collectors and Harry Potter fans alike.

In total, only 5,650 copies were printed for the initial release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 5,150 paperback and 500 hardbacks. The paperback versions of the book are rare and highly sought after, but it's the hardback first impressions that are the real goal for collectors. This is a common trend within the book-collecting community, hardbacks tend to be more sought after for a variety of reasons, pairing this with the fact that there were 10 times more paperback copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone printed than hardback copies, it’s no surprise that the hardback copies are a much more desirable prize.

You have probably figured out by this point that the likelihood of you having a true first impression Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone book sat on your shelf is pretty low considering the first print run equates to around 0.005% of the 120+ million copies sold worldwide. That’s not to say it's impossible though, so it's certainly worth checking.

Here’s what you need to look for in your book to verify your copy as a first impression:

• Situated at the bottom of the front cover, there should be a credit from Wendy Cooling that reads “A terrific read and stunning first novel”.
• On the title page inside the book, you should see the Bloomsbury logo at the bottom.
• On the copyright page on the reverse of the title page, the number sequence at the bottom of the page should appear as – “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”. It’s crucial that the sequence goes all the way down to number one, this indicates that the book is part of the very first print run.
• The author's name on the title page, is written as “Joanne Rowling” instead of "J.K. Rowling".
• At the top of page 53 there should be a misprint in the list titled “Other Equipment” where “1 wand” is listed twice.
• On the back cover of the book there is another misprint. In the first paragraph on the third and fourth lines down, it read “Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft” when it should read “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”.
• Finally, the last telling detail that indicates a first print is the sentence below the first paragraph on the back cover that reads: “Acclaim for Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone” whereby "Philosopher's" is missing a second "o".

It's important to note that for a copy to be a true first edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it must have all these details present to ensure that it's not a fake or a later edition.

How Much is a First Edition First Impression Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Book Worth?

Prices vary a lot, but it's estimated that a first edition first impression Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone hardback book could be worth anywhere between £5,000 - £100,000 depending on the condition and whether it is signed or not. So it's definitely worth checking.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Next, we have the second book in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. While it’s not quite as sought after as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is still a must-have for any collector of modern literature.

According to the publisher, Bloomsbury, there were only 706 true first editions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ever made in hardback, so it’s fair to say they are rare. Due to their rarity and popularity, each hardback true first edition can expect to fetch anything from a few hundred to £3,000 if sold at auction.

First impressions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets aren't the only versions that still hold value, however. Between 1999 and 2007 a deluxe version was released in limited numbers. If you were lucky enough to have got your hands on one of these cloth-bound, gold-embroidered versions of the book, and you are willing to part ways with it, you would be looking at a few hundred pounds depending on the condition.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The third installment of Harry Potter saw Harry’s first encounter with the dark and mysterious Sirius Black. Valued at between £1,000-£2,500 for a true first impression, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has some unique elements that set it apart from the other books in the series:

Notably, the very first print run of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was cut short to make some corrections in the book, which means that the exact number of true first editions is somewhat unknown, but it’s believed to be very low. Because of the premature cancellation of the first print run, there is a collection of details that will undeniably point out a true first edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

• On the copyright page the name of the author is written as “Joanne Rowling” instead of “J.K. Rowling”.
• The number line at the bottom of the copyright page should be “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”.
• The printer's name should be written as “ Clays Ltd, St Ives plc”.
• There is a segment of text where the sentence is accidentally broken halfway through and continued on the line below near the bottom of page 7.
• Unlike the first book in the series, the first impression Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban hardback books came with dust jackets. On each of these print dust jackets, the price of £10.99 should be seen on the bottom corner of the front flap.

Just bear in mind if it’s true first edition copies you are looking for, you need to make sure that your copy has all of the above details to qualify as an authentic true first print.

Deluxe edition copies of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were also released in June of 1999 and are now valued at around £3,000 each. If you are the proud owner of a true first impression of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban signed by J.K. Rowling, you could be looking at a payout of up to £10,000 if you choose to sell it.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The 8th of July 2000 brought the release of the fourth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In this installment of the world’s favourite magical tale Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum, and Fleur Delacour endure the trials of the Triwizard Tournament.

As with a great deal of book series, the later in the series a book comes, the less value it retains. That’s not to say that a true first print of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire isn’t worth anything, original true first impression copies can be worth up to £1,000. If you find yourself with a signed true first print copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in good condition you could be looking at a £1,000+.

From this book onwards signed copies of Harry Potter novels became much rarer, only distributed at specific signing events at various places around the world. Other signed copies of Harry Potter may have come into existence outside of these events, but these copies tend to be harder to authenticate.

The rarity of the signings after 2000 meant a greater demand for evidence when it came to proving the authenticity of signatures. The most common and the most trusted forms of proof of authenticity include entry wristbands and tickets to signing events or photos of the actual signing.

Luckily, it’s not just J.K. Rowling's signature that can boost the value of this book. There are several examples where copies of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire signed by the illustrator sold for up to £1,000.

Later editions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire were also released featuring watercolour cover art design by Giles Greenfield, which have been known to fetch a respectable price at auction.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

By the time Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released on the 21st of June 2003, the films had hit the world stage and drawn in thousands of fans, as a result, the first print run of the Order of the Phoenix was huge. The massive number of first impressions meant that the value of each one severely declined compared to first impressions of previous Harry Potter books.

You can find several examples of first printing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix books selling on eBay for several thousand but mostly true first prints will sell for significantly less than that.

If you were able to get a hold of one of the first impression copies that was part of the midnight release on June 21st 2003, and it was signed by J.K. Rowling, it could be worth upwards of several thousand pounds.

Like with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there are some copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that were signed by the illustrator and can now be worth a few hundred pounds.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Fans had to wait a whole 2 years for the next novel in the Harry Potter series. Dropping on the 16th of July 2005, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yet again saw even fewer signed copies surface, meaning anyone that owned a pristine true first print copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince could be looking at hundreds if not thousands of pounds if they sold it.

However, much like with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the films had really taken off by the time of the book's release and the first print runs were huge, which, as you know, means that the true first impressions of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince aren’t now worth as much as the books earlier in the series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The last book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in July of 2007. By the time the final book in J.K. Rowling's series had been released, Harry Potter had become one of the world’s most beloved film and book series, creating an immense fan base that stretched across the entire globe.

To match the unprecedented demand for copies, the first print run for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was, again, massive so the rarity of true first editions was diminished. On this release, it's believed that only 1,700 of the initial midnight release copies were officially signed, which means they are astonishingly rare. Of course, other copies may have been signed by either J.K. Rowling herself, the illustrator, or even the cast of the film at a later stage, but the true first impressions of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows officially signed by J.K. Rowling at release are highly sought after and command a price in the thousands.

Much like all the previous Harry Potter books, a deluxe edition was released which now sells at a much higher price than a standard copy.

Check out this video on how the tell the difference between first edition vs first printing:

Signed Harry Potter Books

If you are looking to sell your old Harry Potter books, it’s not just the early editions and first printing that hold all the value. Of course, they are rare, and they are valuable but sometimes even just a standard copy of a Harry Potter book from a much later print run could hold significant value if it is signed.

As we mentioned earlier, signed copies became rarer as the book series progressed and reached new levels of fame and popularity. Which of course means that if you have a copy of one of the later Harry Potter books that is signed by J.K Rowling herself, you can count yourself especially lucky.

As the Harry Potter series progressed both on the pages of the books and on the big screen, new signature-worthy names emerged that held the power to increase the value of your books. After the success of the films, the stars of the big screen soon became the target for autograph hunters everywhere.

Books signed by the cast members, whether as the character or the actor, soon became popular among collectors and fans alike, with signatures from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint being some of the most sought-after. These new signed copies of the Harry Potter books have been known to be worth thousands to the right buyer.

Fake Signatures and Forgeries

When looking at signed copies of books, it’s always best to tread carefully because fake signatures and forgeries are commonplace. When it comes to selling books at auction, it pays to have proof of authenticity because often, if a signature provides a significant increase in the value of a book, auction houses won’t accept them unless they are verified.

How to Spot a Signed Copy of Harry Potter

Because of the value a signature brings and its rarity, J.K. Rowling’s signature is one of, if not the most commonly forged signatures found in books. However, there are several ways to reliably authenticate your signed copy of Harry Potter:

• Tickets or wristbands from a signing event to prove attendance.
• A photo of the book in question at the signing event or a photo of the book being signed.
• A verification from a trusted specialist. Confirmation of authenticity from the likes of Adam Houston – The Harry Potter Specialist is usually accepted by most auction houses.

How Much is My Harry Potter Book Worth?

If you are unsure about anything we have talked about in this blog or you think you might have a first impression copy of Harry Potter or one that is signed but you're not sure, send us an email at info@webuybooks.co.uk with an outline of your query and some pictures of your books and our specialist books team will take a look to give you a better idea of what your books might be worth.

Harry Potter and WeBuyBooks

Here at WeBuyBooks, we have seen our fair share of Harry Potter books; over the last few years, we have had over 1900 books from the Harry Potter series come through our doors. In those 1900 books, we have had a few extra special copies pop up. Take a look at some of the rarer copies of Harry Potter that we have encountered.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone signed by the cast

1998 first edition first impression Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets signed by J.K. Rowling.

1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone signed by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grin, and Ian Hart.

2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows signed by J.K. Rowling.

1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Signed by J.K. Rowling.

Sell Your Harry Potter Books

So, now it’s up to you, are you one of the lucky few to have a first edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? You now have the expertise to finally answer that question once and for all and see for yourself if you really do have a piece of Harry Potter history.

Don’t worry if your copy of Harry Potter isn’t signed, a first impression, or a special deluxe edition, you can still sell your Harry Potter books and turn them into easy money. Follow the steps below to sell your old books:

Here's how to do it:

1. Use the WeBuyBooks app to scan the barcode on your books or enter the ISBN into the search bar.

2. Get an instant valuation, accept your offer, and pick your payment method.

3. Box your items, print the postage label, and send it with our designated courier for FREE.

4. Relax! Once we’ve received your items, we’ll check them and pay you the next day.