Magic response to book sale

8:00am Tuesday 12th August 2008

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A LEDBURY man has received a magical response after selling a rare Harry Potter book on an internet auction site.

Independent bookseller Rob Harkins, aged 37, made £2,101 after selling a second print of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

He bought the book two years ago for “a couple of hundred pounds”, knowing around 500 copies were produced.

But the sale sparked a bidding frenzy. The book was a top 10 most-viewed item at one stage and attracted bids from America.

“The second printing is as rare as the first – it’s a very valuable book so it’s an obvious one to put up for sale,” he said.

“I’ve been selling books for a while, but I’ve never had a reaction like this.”

Mr Harkins, of Target Way, isn’t a serious JK Rowling fan but has read the series and owns several copies.