The original illustration for the first edition of J.K. Rowling’s 1997 novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” has sold for a record-breaking $1.9 million.
It had been expected to sell for up to $600,000 – the highest presale value ever placed on a Harry Potter-related item, according to auction house Sotheby’s – but the hammer went down at more than three times that amount.
Sotheby’s said it took nearly 10 minutes for the four-way bidding to conclude in New York on Wednesday.
The watercolor cover art was created by author and illustrator Thomas Taylor.
The image features young wizard Harry Potter – with his unmistakable dark, brown hair, round glasses and lightning bolt scar – ready to board the Hogwarts Express train for his first trip to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Taylor’s cover was used for several translated versions of the book, the auction house said. However, it was not used for the US edition of the book, which was released with the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
The watercolor illustration of fictional young wizard Harry Potter in front of the Hogwarts Express train sold for $1.9 million on June 26.
Sotheby’s
When the illustration was first up for auction at Sotheby’s in London in 2001, it sold for around four times its estimated sale price, for a record £85,750 (about $106,000), according to a Sotheby’s press release issued before the sale.
The record for an item related to the book series was previously held by an unsigned first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” which sold for $421,000 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, in 2021, according to Sotheby’s.
The first edition of 1997 book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” which Taylor illustrated.
BNPS/Shutterstock
Taylor, just 23 years old at the time, created the original cover image in two days, according to Sotheby’s.
At the time of the book’s publication, Taylor was working in a bookshop, where his colleagues would inform customers that their local bookseller was the illustrator of the high selling novel, Sotheby’s said.
The illustration was auctioned on Wednesday at Sotheby’s in New York along with other works of English and American Literature.
News
THE GATE THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN OPEN When police checked the area where Nyla May Bradshaw was last seen, they found the metal gate leading to the golf course slightly ajar. Nearby cameras captured movement at 4:30:52 p.m. In the clip, a small figure runs toward the gate — and in the final seconds, the gate appears to close
When police checked the area where Nyla May Bradshaw was last seen, they found the metal gate leading to the golf course slightly ajar. Nearby cameras captured movement at 4:30:52 p.m. In the clip, a small figure runs toward the…
FRAME 7 OF THE CCTV FOOTAGE A traffic camera near the golf course recorded movement at 4:31:24 p.m. When zooming in on the video, investigators noticed a small, bright object moving across the corner of the frame in the seventh frame. But what caught their attention even more was the small object lying on the grass immediately after the object disappeared
A traffic camera near the golf course recorded movement at 4:31:24 p.m. When zooming in on the video, investigators noticed a small, bright object moving across the corner of the frame in the seventh frame. But what caught their attention…
“She was laughing just minutes earlier.” A witness said they saw Nyla May Bradshaw near the golf course fence at 4:31 p.m. But a nearby parking lot camera recorded the movement at 4:31:24 p.m. — just 53 seconds later. In the zoomed-in frame, a pink object was lying near the edge of the fence. And when investigators reviewed the slow-motion footage, they noticed a detail that no one had previously noticed
A witness said they saw Nyla May Bradshaw near the golf course fence at 4:31 p.m. But a nearby parking lot camera recorded the movement at 4:31:24 p.m. — just 53 seconds later. In the zoomed-in frame, a pink object…
I only turned away for a moment: According to the initial timeline, only about three minutes would have been enough for Nyla May Bradshaw to leave the backyard. The distance from the back door of the house to the golf course lake is only 176 meters. But the search team says they found two small footprints in the mud about two meters from the water’s edge. That small detail is leading many to believe that the little girl’s final moments may have happened much faster than everyone thought
According to the initial timeline, only about three minutes would have been enough for Nyla May Bradshaw to leave the backyard. The distance from the back door of the house to the golf course lake is only 176 meters. But…
THE CCTV CLUE 🎥🚨 Above a small corner shop on Martintar Road sits a camera pointed directly at the section of pavement where Lucinta Evans was standing before the crash. Early reports say the device was still recording before dawn when the taxi left the roadway. Investigators are believed to be reviewing that footage. Scene breakdown and key details inside the report 👇
THE CCTV CLUE 🎥🚨 Above a small corner shop on Martintar Road sits a camera pointed directly at the section of pavement where Lucinta Evans was standing before the crash. Early reports say the device was still recording before dawn…
5:07AM ON MARTINTAR ROAD 🚨 Early reports say a taxi suddenly veered off the road in Nadi, leading to the death of Lucinta Evans during her birthday trip. Witnesses later described another car speeding through the same stretch just before the crash. Nearby cameras may hold crucial seconds from that moment. Full timeline and scene details revealed here 👇
Early reports say a taxi suddenly veered off the road in Nadi, leading to the death of Lucinta Evans during her birthday trip. Witnesses later described another car speeding through the same stretch just before the crash. Nearby cameras may…
End of content
No more pages to load
