Harry Potter book bought for £3.50 by Birmingham woman almost 30 years ago sold for £6,600

A rare copy of a Harry Potter book has sold for thousands at auction, 27 years after its owner bought it brand new for a few pounds.

The soft cover first edition of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' went under the hammer today at Richard Winterton Auctioneers in Staffordshire and sold for £6,600, and will rise to £8,000 with fees.

Jane Thompson-Webb, from Erdington, bought the book brand new in 1997 from Ottakar's Bookshop in Birmingham.

She was working there at the time, and with her staff discount ended up paying £3.50 for it instead of the recommended retail price.

The book sat on Jane's bookshelf for nearly 30 years until this afternoon when it was sold.

In a statement, auctioneer Richard Winterton said: "This is a fantastic result and one of the highest prices achieved at auction, which reflects the wonderful condition this copy is in.

"We had a huge amount of interest in the book leading up to the auction and on sale day we were joined online by more than 30 bidders from America and the UK along with two telephone bids and people watching in the sale room.

"After a solid bidding battle the copy was eventually secured by a telephone bidder in the UK.

"Congratulations to the winner and also to the underbidders, who all helped make this a magical moment in the sale room."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know..