A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has been sold at auction, fetching a stupefying £68,000 ($90,000).
The book was one of 500 hardbacks printed in 1997, the first in JK Rowling's series about the "boy who lived".
Valued between £40,000 to £60,000, it went under the hammer at Bonhams Auction House in Knightsbridge, London, on Wednesday, December 9. The auction battle came down to two buyers who placed bids online and by phone.
Do you have an early-edition Harry Potter worth thousands?
The early run of 500 books are noted for their mistakes. The author is listed as “Joanne Rowling” and the name of the novel is misspelt as “Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone” on the back cover.
Another error noted is the doubling of “1 wand” at the beginning and end of Harry’s school equipment list, along with a cauldron, crystal phials, a telescope, brass scales and the option of bringing an owl, cat or toad. Readers will know that the young wizard arrived with his snowy owl, Hedwig, an 11th birthday gift from Hagrid.
The particular edition that sold last week had a hand-written note from the author, reading: "With lots of love from Jo (also known as JK Rowling)."
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
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8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
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Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
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Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
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Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
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Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
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6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
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Lowest Test scores
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
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36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
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