Rare Harry Potter First Edition, Almost Thrown Away, Sells for £21,000

Via BBC

Be careful what you throw away! A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone—one of just 500 copies from the original print run—was nearly tossed in the trash before being identified and sold at auction for over £21,000 (26,000$). That's right, someone almost threw away a book worth more than a small car.

This particular copy was one of 300 distributed to public libraries, making it even rarer. It was discovered among the possessions of a deceased man from Brixham, whose belongings were set to be discarded. Fortunately, Daniel Pearce, who runs an auction house (talk about luck), spotted the book and recognized it for what it was.

One of the biggest clues? A misprint on the back cover—the word "philosopher's" was misspelled, a telltale sign of a genuine first edition. And just like that, what could have been lost forever turned into a magical payday.

So if you have an old copy of Harry Potter lying around, maybe—just maybe—it's a first edition with a valuable misprint. I mean, it's probably not, so don't get your hopes up. But hey, I believe in magic, so who knows?