Check your old books as certain editions could be worth up to £100,000 | Books | Entertainment

November 17, 2024 3,292

If you have piles of old books at home, these editions could get you some money.

All too often people don’t realise how much some of their older items at home might be worth, especially with books.

An expert has revealed which books are actually quite common but that people don’t realise could get them some money rather than sitting gathering dust on a shelf at home.

Abdul Thadha, founder and managing director of Books2Door, an independent online children’s book retailer, said: “I studied law at university, and I had several statute books which I no longer needed so I put them up for sale on eBay and sold them for £4.40.

“Soon after, I was in Leicester city centre when I walked past an ‘Overstocks store’ and spotted the exact same books for just 50p. I took all six copies, popped them up on eBay and I kid you not, I got between £14 – £17 for each book and I thought, ‘Kerching! This is a good idea.

“I then turned my attention to selling children’s books. I decided to bundle books together as box sets and collections. I approached publishers to ask them to put all of the books written by the same author into a series for sale.

“For example, Roald Dahl – there are 15 books Roald Dahl has written, put it in a box set and that’s basically what we were buying. The thing is, Amazon were selling all of these books as single titles. So we were making them giftable and affordable at the same time, because we were ordering them from the publishers in bulk.”

Mr Thadha said there are some certain first editions which its likely people may have at home.

One of these being first editions of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series (especially Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, UK first edition, 1997).

He said that prices can vary a lot, but it’s estimated that a first edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone hardback book could be worth anywhere between £5,000 – £100,000 depending on the condition and whether it is signed or not.

Keep an eye out for the name Joanne Rowling (rather than J.K Rowiling). It’s definitely worth checking – there is one listed at £5499.

This first edition is one of the rarest and most valuable modern books due to its cultural impact and limited initial print run of only 500 copies, intended mainly for libraries.

Another book you might be able to find at home is Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964). Mr Thadha said first editions can sell for between £5,000 to £20,000, with those signed by Dahl demanding even higher prices.

Classic titles are often the books which sell for most but they’re also the books which many might find in their home, having first editions of these lying around might not be that rare for many UK households.

Another example of a book you may have is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937). A first edition, first printing with the original dust jacket is extremely valuable in the UK, often reaching prices of £30,000 to over £100,000.

Other books to look out for are: