2 weeks Ago By Hayley Anderson
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow. An Antiques Roadshow guest was visibly chuffed upon learning the valuation of her child's rather "shockingly bad" copy of a Harry Potter novel. Set against the stunning backdrop of Thirlestane Castle in the Scottish Borders, expert Matthew Haley had the pleasure of appraising first editions of Harry Potter volumes brought in by two members of the public.
One gentleman presented a prized, autographed edition of Chamber of Secrets, whereas a lady revealed her own signed copy of the series' fourth instalment, Goblet of Fire. The first fan shared that his precious item was personally autographed by JK Rowling during an intimate Edinburgh Book Festival reading, attended by a mere 30 or so children. On the other hand, the woman disclosed she obtained her Goblet of Fire treasure at an Edinburgh signing back in July 2000 as a birthday surprise for her daughter, deeming it a wonderful gift.
Matthew Haley lauded them, saying: "You've both got brilliant provenance, there are so many JK Rowling fake signatures around. You both know where you were and when they were signed." He then transitioned to address the issue of "condition", prompting a light chuckle from the female guest.
Delving into their items, Haley first focused on the man's piece: "Your Chamber of Secrets is in pretty good condition, it's got a slightly faded spine as often happens, the dust jacket is a bit bumped but it is as I would expect to see it." As the expert took a pause, the woman humorously interjected: "Here we come", prompting Haley to comment on the state of her book. He remarked: "Your Goblet Of Fire, it's been annotated here 'JK Rowling' in case you couldn't read it.
"And then here, 'My new signature, do you like it? ' And then she goes to the back and writes 'This is an amazing book! You must read it!'", which elicited laughter from those present. The guest simply shrugged as he observed: "It really shows enthusiasm for the Harry Potter series but it obviously does affect the value." For the initial book appraisal, Haley concluded: "So your Chamber of Secrets, it's the second book in the series, it's rarer, it's in nicer condition I'm going to say at auction that one will be worth something about £3,000.
" Then assessing the less pristine Goblet of Fire: "Yours is less rare, because it's further in the series so there were more copies printed, JK Rowling was more popular and the condition is really shockingly bad. "It's really difficult to say in this condition but something between £500 and £1,000." The guest responded with a smile: "Well that's still very, very good, thank you.
" Haley then concluded: "And it's amazing that you've both brought them and we can do them together." Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer..
