Wait, how much?

Rare books can go for quite a price and rare editions of Harry Potter books have been known to fetch tidy sums when put up for auction. Seven-year-old Alfie McGuffin from Balbriggan is a huge Harry Potter fan and he was on the Toy Show talking about the latest toys from the Harry Potter world. Following his presentation, Ryan Tubridy, with thanks to Ulysses Rare Books, presented him with a very special gift. A first edition hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Some of the old copies of Harry Potter can fetch as much as €47,000 so this copy could conceivably be worth a high price. Online book marketplace AbeBooks, which specialises in rare books,have outlined which editions are worth far more than their cost price. "Hardcover first edition first printings of this 1997 book have become the 'Holy Grail' for Potter collectors. If you find one in the attic, then you've hit the jackpot. Only 500 were published and 300 went to libraries. The main characteristics of a 1997 first edition first printing are a print line that reads "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" and the crediting of "Joanne Rowling" not J.K. Prices on AbeBooks vary from £28,850 (€34,400) to £39,700 (€37,400). A handful of advance proof copies are available from £5,400 (€6,400) to £9,700 (€11,500). Prices for Australian first editions vary between £145 (€173) and £1,445 (€1,350). The first editions of the deluxe edition from 1999 are also desirable with prices from £320 (€382) to £1,800 (€2,150). Paperback first editions of the Philosopher's Stone are also quite scarce and attract four-figure price-tags - sometimes five figures if in excellent condition."