While browsing a thrift store in the U.K., one woman thought she had struck gold when she stumbled on a first edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for just £1.50 ($1.30), but her excitement was short-lived.
TikTok user Klio Pan Agabiou shared her discovery in a video with more than 1.1 million views—only to reveal a heartbreaking twist. "Ugh, gutted," Agabiou said in the video, opening the book to show that its pages were filled with children's doodles and scribbles. Despite the thrilling prospect of owning a first edition of the beloved book, the extensive markings rendered it far from the collectible gem she had hoped for.
"I found it in a charity shop in Sutton Coldfield," Agabiou told Newsweek. "I was gutted when I saw the pen marks because I was after the originals. I wasn't expecting it to be a first edition, but when I saw that it was, I laughed because that's just my luck."
While Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is not as rare as earlier first editions in the series due to its massive print run in 2007, pristine copies still hold value for collectors, especially if signed by author J.K. Rowling. Signed first editions from the launch event at the Natural History Museum, where Rowling signed 1,700 copies, can fetch particularly impressive sums at auction.
Agabiou even shared a comparison in her TikTok video, showing a first edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire listed on eBay for nearly $9,000, demonstrating the potential worth of these coveted books in good condition. However, faced with the scribbled pages, she ultimately left the find behind. "I wouldn't have enjoyed it in that condition," she said, "but I'm sure someone else wouldn't have minded."
Commenters on TikTok had mixed reactions. Some shared Agabiou's disappointment, while others found beauty in the well-loved state of the book. One user, @Luigi, wrote: "The book has been loved and that's all that matters." Another commenter, @Alexandra Adderley, added: "You got the illustrated edition."
First editions of the Harry Potter series have become highly sought-after collectibles. While Deathly Hallows doesn't command as high a price as earlier books in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, for instance, has been known to sell for up to £55,000 ($70,000) at auction due to its limited initial print run.
While this book might not have been the perfect discovery, thrift stores are a great place to find old and potentially valuable books. Earlier this year, a woman had better luck at the thrift store when she stumbled on a first-edition signed copy of her favorite book The Notebook for just $2 at a local Goodwill.
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