An original watercolor illustration has become the most valuable Harry Potter merchandising ever – selling for $1.9m (£1.5m) at a US auction.
Artwork from the first edition of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold for more than three times its expected price.
The book was first auctioned in 2001, before the series was completed, and sold for £85,750 (approximately $108,000 at current exchange rates).
“This is really the first visualization of Harry and the wizarding world,” said Sotheby’s Carlika Saunders.
The artwork is expected to sell for between $400,000 and $600,000, which Sotheby’s said is the highest presale estimate for a Harry Potter-related work.
The four-way bidding took nearly 10 minutes to conclude on Wednesday. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.
Thomas Taylor, the artist behind this illustration, was just 23 in 1997 when he created the iconic image of Harry Potter standing in front of the Hogwarts Express – the train that would lead The young bespectacled wizard enters the magical world.
The painting was sketched in condensed watercolor and black pencil and took him two days to complete.
Mr. Taylor was one of the first people to read the original manuscript of “Harry Potter,” which went on to sell millions of copies and spawn a lucrative franchise that includes movies and theme parks.
Ms Sands said the difference in auction prices in 2001, when only four of the seven books in the series had been published, reflected how popular author Rowling’s works had become.
“It was extraordinary over the next few decades to see Harry’s story come to an end and the Harry Potter series take off, as a new generation began to appreciate Harry and his journey.
