Original Harry Potter Book Cover Art Could Sell for $600,000 at Auction
The cover illustration for the 1997 first edition of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is expected to set an auction record at Sotheby’s for most valuable Harry Potter-related item.
The original book cover illustration for the first edition of J.K. Rowling’s 1997 novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” is heading to auction later this month, promising to cast a spell on bidders worldwide.
How magical is the Sotheby’s auction Wednesday, June 26, of the illustration of the boy wizard by Thomas Taylor? Presale estimates call for the artwork to sell for up to $600,000, the highest presale value ever placed on a Harry Potter-related item, according to the auction house.
“It is hard to convey the impact of this illustration by Thomas Taylor for the then unknown novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,” Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books & Manuscripts, says. “Instantly recognizable today, Taylor's work serves as the visual blueprint for the boy wizard who has since inspired millions worldwide. Taylor's charming work has become a vital addition to what is now the most beloved children's book series in history, perfectly capturing the enchanting and nostalgic universe of Harry Potter.”
The watercolor cover art 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 U.S. edition of the book, which was released with the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
The illustration was first auctioned at Sotheby’s in 2001, selling for about $106,000, or around four times its presale estimate, according to the auction house.
“More than 20 years later, the original illustration returns to auction poised to not only far exceed the value it previously sold, but also to potentially set a new auction record for any Harry Potter related item,” Sotheby’s said in the release.
The record for an item related to the book series is currently held by an unsigned first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” which sold for $421,000 at Heritage Auctions in 2021.
Taylor was only 23 when he was commissioned – his first as a professional illustrator – to create the Harry Potter image. It took him only two days to create the iconic work using concentrated watercolors on cold pressed watercolor paper and outlined with black Karisma pencil. Today, with more than 500 million copies sold worldwide and translations in 80 languages, the series has become a worldwide hit. Taylor’s first-ever depiction of the boy wizard, cast the “universal image” of Harry Potter.
Additionally, Sotheby’s will offer one of J.K. Rowling’s seven original manuscripts for “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” a book of fairy tales penned by the author in 2007. This manuscript, which was not intended originally for publication, is one of only six handwritten by J.K Rowling, as gifts to people intimately involved with the publication of Harry Potter (the seventh was auctioned for charity).
This copy was previously held in the collection of Barry Cunningham and includes the inscription: “To Barry, the man who thought an overlong novel about a boy wizard in glasses might just sell … THANK YOU.” It will be offered during Sotheby’s New York Fine Books and Manuscripts Auction, estimated $250,000 – $350,000.
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Paul Kennedy is Editorial Director of the Collectibles Group at AIM Media. He enjoys Mid-century design, photography, vintage movie posters and people with a good story to share. Kennedy has more than twenty-five years of experience in the antiques and collectibles field, including book publishing. Reach him at PKennedy@aimmedia.com.
