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The original watercolor illustration for the cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book in the famous series by author JK Rowling, is now the most expensive Potter memorabilia ever sold at auction.
The illustration appeared on the first edition of the novel in 1997. It was now sold by Sotheby’s New York for $1.9 million, but not without a bidding war lasting almost ten minutes between four bidders.
The artist who painted the picture was Thomas Taylor. It shows Harry Potter on Platform 9¾, waiting for his first ride on the Hogwarts Express.
Taylor completed the painting in just two days using concentrated watercolors on cold-pressed watercolor paper and black pencil. He received $650 for his efforts.
A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the previous record holder. It was sold for $421,000 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas in 2021.
Taylor’s illustration sold for almost four times the expected amount of $400,000 to $600,000.
According to Sotheby’s, this is the “highest estimate ever set for a Harry Potter-related work.”
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