Signed copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
On Saturday night, JK Rowling will launch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at a major event in London’s Natural History Museum. There will be a reading and then an old-fashioned book signing for the lucky 1,700 people who won the right to attend the event. Bloomsbury’s press release says JK will be signing books until dawn.
Now any book signed by JK Rowling is valuable on the rare book market and those 1,700 copies will have considerable value as soon as they leave the Natural History Museum.
Let’s compare the situation to two years ago when JK launched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with a midnight event at Edinburgh Castle. Only 70 children attended and received signed books, and very, very few signed copies reached the rare book market. I don’t think a large number of signed copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will reach the rare book market but some will….. simply because 1,700 people are involved.
In April, AbeBooks.com sold a signed copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for $3,000 (here’s a copy with a signed bookplate). It had been signed at JK’s New York (Harry, Carrie and Garp) appearance with Stephen King and John Irving. So in theory, any signed copy of the Deathly Hallows will be worth $3,000 or $4,000. If just one or two copies go on sale, perhaps the price could be higher - after all we’re talking about Harry Potter here.
To mere mortals, $4,000 or $5,000 might sound like a lot of money but AbeBooks.com currently has a signed first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on sale for $68,000.
If you are thinking of starting a collection of collectible Harry Potters, you might find this guide useful.
If you are one of those people who will meet JK on Saturday night then don’t drop your book in puddle. Don’t even read it. Buy another copy and read that one.
July 22nd, 2007 at 8:45 am
I ordered the deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. On on end of the case, there is JK Rowling’s autograph in red ink. I compared it to those I saw online and it seems to be authentic. How can I be sure?
Btw I ordered from Barnes & Noble. I’m wondering if everyone who ordered the deluxe edition had the same autograph on their case.
July 22nd, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I also have a delux edition with her signature. I did not pre-order. This was bought after midnight from Wal-Mart.
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:19 am
Hello Tazmun and Danielle
Sorry - you have the deluxe versions and they haven’t actually been signed by JK. It’s a copy of her signature.
The only real signed copies will come from the Natural History Museum signing event on Friday/Saturday night in London.
Regards
Richard
July 26th, 2007 at 5:47 am
HI MY SON ATTENDED THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND HAD A SIGNED COPY OF THE DEATHLY HALLOWS BOOK J K ROWLING ALSO WROTE ON THE BOOK ABOVE HER SIGNATURE TO LEWIS WHO LOOKS LIKE A WEESLEY DO YOU THINK MY SONS BOOK WOULD REACH THE RARE BOOK MARKET MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS
SAMANTHATHOMAS668@HOTMAIL.COM
HE ALSO HAS THE GOODY BAG AND CONTENTS THAT EVERYONE RECIEVED DURING THE EVENT THANKS SAM
July 30th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
How many copies of the Deathly Hallows deluxe first edition (Bloomsbury - cloth bound with gold author’s signature) were published 1/1. I picked up a copy at Toys-R-Us here in Canada and a friend told me it might be quite a rare find as some have been selling on Ebay for up to $1000. I called the store back and there were only about 50 copies made available to their stores in Alberta.
August 1st, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Hello,
Many, many deluxe first editions would have been printed though I don’t know the exact number. In Alberta alone, Toys R Us would have got 50, then Costco got 50, then Chapters would have thousands and so it goes on.
Richard
August 13th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Hello,
i just bought in Ebay Germany the “Deathly Hallows ” originally signed by Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe on the cover for EUR 45,–.
Now i wonder whether i’ve bought a fake, since i can’t find a further signed copy of this book in the web. The Salesman told me that this signed copy came from London as a swap for s.th. else.
Does anybody know s.th. about an autograph session by Emma and Daniel? pls mail to: carstens.cts@web.de
thanks + best regards
Carsten
August 18th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Hi
I won a copy of Harry Potter and the deathly hallows in the sainsbury’s book competition. It has arrived and has a sticker on the inner page, with a genuine signature of JK Rowling. There is a letter from siansbury’s to say it is a genuine signature.
How many were won and it it worth keeping as a collectable, has it any value?
September 6th, 2007 at 8:58 am
J.K. Rowling has very kindly donated a signed first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows obviously Hardback in aid of fundraising for a Christmas Party for 100 underprivileged/disabled children from the Hull area. This is part of a Business in the Community Hull Cares at Christmas project of which Princes Quay Shopping Centre is a member.
We have an accompanying letter on J K Rowling’s letterhead dated 28th August, 2007, signed by Fiddy Henderson (PA to J.K. Rowling)confirming her generosity.
We have therefore put the book out to the highest bidder via e-mail (it will not be found on e-bay). The book can be viewed by prior arrangement at Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Hull. If you wish to bid e-mail julie@princes-quay.co.uk
September 14th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
There will also be a signing in NYC at Carnegie Hall…only 1000 people get to go with one guest, though.
September 26th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Well, I’m going to one of the other signings, the one in New Orleans, Louisiana. I don’t know how many people will be there but they’ll be school kids..thats a feew more books likely to be on the market.