Harry Potter discussion

It' not a first printing, in fact it was printed in Mexico ::sad face::

0/0 01 02 03 04 49 to be exact. Still, it's the condition that has me excited.

I'm not even sure when, or from whom, I received the book...but it's never been read, or even thumbed through as far as I can tell. And yes, I have seen all the Potter films and have actually read this particular book in the series. Just not this beautiful copy I have sitting in front of me. I'm a fan, and by the way, it really is a beautifully designed book. Everything is put together very nicely.

Now, I know this isn't the holy grail of Harry Potter collecting, but I'm still thinking it has got to be worth at least a few hundred dollars. If this thing were to get signed by Ms. Rowling we're talking a few thousand. It's seriously in Mint condition.

Sooooo, could anyone here give me an estimate on what they think this might fetch?

....or make an offer, hehe j/k....

or am I?

I saw recently your copy could be worry around $2000 on the internet, but I'm not sure how true this is. All I am certain is that if the book has the all (if not majority) the traits of a first edition, it will be worth as much as the stated above because they are well sought after. If you're interested in whether yours have these traits, here are the deets:
1) the latest date released must be 1997
2) Print line on copyright page should read "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" (this is so for Bloomsbury copies)
3) on page 53 where Harry receives a list of materials to get from Hogwarts, "1 wand" should be printed twice. the mistake was corrected in the second printing
4) on page 8, "highchair" on the first line should be one word and it's later that it got corrected as two words

The above post seems to be referring to the UK edition but what you have is the American so that info isn't relevant to yours. Also, the number line you included in your post isn't the complete number line . You've given the half that determines what year it was printed which looks to be in 2000. The other numbers on the left side (across from the numbers you gave) indicate the printing number. Also, its not the First edition satus that makes it valuable it is the printing. The first printings are the ones that are sought after the most then lower printings. Once you get into the higher number for printings they aren't worth any more than the other books in the series. You also have to make sure it isn't actually a book club edition. The BC editions don't have the dark green end papers or the diamond pattern on the cover nor the raised lettering on the jacket. If what you have isn't a book club edition and you can figure out the correct printing number, and it turns out to be quite low it can still be worth some money. Though if I am correct in the printing being 2000, then it isn't going to be a low printing number and likely not worth much. This should help you with the number line for your book: http://onegirlcollecting.blogspot.com...
From Mugglenet:
Published in 1998, US first editions will have the number line of “1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 02,” on the copyright page along with “Printed in the U.S.A.23” and “First American edition, October 1998“. Boards are purple with an embossed diamond pattern, and a red cloth spine. The dust jacket has a $16.95 price on the upper corner of the front flap. The dust jacket back has a cream/light yellow bar code field with two bar codes in it, and the smaller bar code says “51695“. The dust jacket back also has a single quote from the Guardian saying “Harry Potter could assume the near-legendary status of Ronald Dahl’s Charlie, of chocolate factory fame.” Later issue dust jackets have a substitute quote from Publishers Weekly. The top spine of both the book and the dust jacket lists “J.K. ROWLING” and lacks the “YEAR 1” badge, and the gold lettering is raised on the spine of the dust jacket.
Note: There are book club editions that have the same full number line as the true first US edition. But they lack the embossed diamond pattern on the book boards. A book club edition is far less valuable than the true first US edition.

ya Keri, thanks for the reply. The chap above was either confused or too clever for his own good. I have a 47th printing, it's worth squat. I guess in 50 years it might have some value. Oh well, the cocaine caviar party has been cancelled.....:(

BTW, it's not the bc edition. It has the diamond inlay, red cloth etc... I had a bookseller offer me 30 $. Thanks again for the info, I learned some pieces of info. Book collecting is a fascinating endeavor!

If anyone knows a reliable source for determining values on Harry Potter books and best source(s) for selling them I would be interested. Thanks.

Abebooks can give you a good ball park on price but you won't be able to sell though them, unless you are a professional seller. Ebay would probably be the best bet for just selling one or a few items. If you are looking to sell, just make sure you have good photos and confirm all first edition (if that is what you are inquiring about) selling points to get interest. 1st editions are way out of my price range right now but I have looked at them on Abebooks a lot and there is nothing I hate worse than sellers asking for several hundred-a thousand dollars and not showing or confirming in the description all the first edition points.

Thanks, will keep all good advice in mind.