Before you get excited most likely your books are going to be worth at best a few quid (if that), if they’re older books then most likely the sentimental value will outweigh the monetary value.
HOWEVER there is a small chance your book is one of the rare misprinted or first edition books and if that is the case it could be worth a couple of hundred, maybe even a few thousand or maybe even £26,700. The very rare books are worth £10,000-£20,000 (if you can find a buyer willing to part with that much) and the addition of signatures by the author will increase this even further.
The older books are more likely to get you the best prices but even some of the more recent books could be worth an easy £100-£500.
A signed book by JK Rowling is the most important thing you can wish for, as it will increase the value tenfold and if it is a rare book to begin with then you might want to start celebrating.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – Up to £28,000
To get this price you will need:
- The print line (the series of numbers of the copyright page) must read “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” aka first edition
- The author is credited as “Joanne Rowling”, not JK
- A signature from JK Rowling would help massively
- Only ever 500 created (300 went to libraries & 200 went to publishers/marketing etc)
Also, these versions could be worth a few hundred/thousand:
- Paperback first editions of the Philosopher’s Stone also have four-figure pricetags.
- Deluxe editions from 1999 are also in demand. Prices range from £320 to as much as £1,800.
- They also have quite a few misprinted versions e.g. with a young Dumbledore (later replaced with older version), The word “Philosopher’s” is misspelled as “Philospher’s”, The words “Witchcraft and Wizardry” are switched and printed as “Wizardry and Witchcraft” & The phrase “1 wand” is listed twice on the “Other Equipment” list found on page 53. – These are generally worth £100-£300. (we have one of these valued at £150).
↪ US version titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (instead of Philosopher’s)
- Prices for first edition first printings go up to around £4,700 with a fair selection between £2,885 and £3,600 – many signed by the author – although cheaper copies can be found.
- US first editions will have the number line of “1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 02,” on the copyright page along with “Printed in the U.S.A.23” and “First American edition, October 1998”. Prices for later editions in good condition are three figures.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Up to £6000
1998 second book, hardcover first editions can go for £6,000, a signed deluxe editions could be going for £1,000.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Up to £6000
- First edition imprints can go for £6,000 – They will have the number line “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” and a block of wrongly aligned text on page seven.
- Some books are wrongly printed with “Joanne Rowling” as the Author, if you have one of those it’s valuable, an estimated price of £1,500-£8,000 for books in perfect condition.
- 2nd editions of Prisoner of Azkaban (in perfect condition) could still land you with a few hundred pounds.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Up to £1000+
- Signed copies of this book (& any subsequent books) are now rare, expect £1000+ if signed + even more if you’ve got paperwork/entry bands to any signing events (the events were very rare)
- Limited edition original watercolour illustrations by Giles Greenfield (Bloomsbury’s UK edition) can push the £1000 mark further
- Extremely Limited Edition original watercolour illustrations by Mary GrandPré (Scholastic’s super rare US edition of only 25 copies) would be very popular if you had one.
- If artists have signed the books expect 4 figures minimum
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – £1000+ (most likely £145+)
- First edition copies signed by JK Rowling at the midnight launch event in Edinburgh on 2003 would be worth 4 figures+
- Jason Cockroft illustrated the UK edition while Mary GrandPré illustrated the US version, if you’ve got a signed by artist book then expect £145+
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – £2000+ (most likely £180+)
- A signed copy of this is worth £2000-£3600, book signings didn’t happen now so it would only be if you met her outside
- Copies signed by illustrator Mary GrandPré can be found for £180 or less.
- Deluxe first edition first printings can be picked up cheaply.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Up to £4000 (most likely £700+)
- JK signed 1,700 books at the launch event, prices for signed copies usually start around £720 however do creep up to £4,000.
- If signed then including wrist bands/invitation to the signing etc would increase the value.
