A man coincidentally named Harry Potter is planning to sell a rare first edition of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, a sale that could net him more than £20,000 (about $23,447 USD).
The very real Harry Potter received the book when he was eight years old. His father bought it for him because he had the same name as the book’s protagonist. Fortunately, this particular hardback copy is rather rare — only 500 were printed — and Potter can likely sell it for somewhere between £20,000 and £30,000 when it is auctioned off in October.
When Potter sells the book, he plans to share the money with his older sister Katie. In an interview with Metro, Katie recalls when their father bought the book and brought it home.
“I remember dad bursting through the front door after work brandishing a book, proclaiming ‘You’ll never believe what I’ve got,'” Katie said.
The siblings would like to use part of the money to travel to Africa, where their father, who died of cancer in 2017, said he wanted his ashes spread. Initially, Harry and Katie were reluctant to sell the book because memories of their father were tied to the book. But the fear of damaging it and reducing its value pushed the siblings to sell.
Since the Harry Potter franchise became one of the most popular books in the world, the real-world Harry has had to endure some eye-rolls and laughter when he tells someone his name is Harry Potter. But he said he’s taken it quite well and can be an icebreaker of sorts when meeting new people.
Potter’s book copy is set to be sold on October 7th by Hansons Auctioneers of Etwall.