A woman is set for a bumper pay-out after her father found her early edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone in his loft.
The women’s father bought the book for £10.99 in 1997.
Shortly after his daughter read it, he stashed it away in the attic, where it remained for the next twenty four years.
It was only rediscovered during a recent clear out, having been long since forgotten about.
The owner, who is not being named, has now made it available for auction where it is expected to sell for between £40,000 to £60,000, increasing in value by almost five and a half thousand times.
The book is one of 500 copies of the original print, and contains notable spelling mistakes including ‘Philospher’ on the back cover and the word ‘wand’ written twice on page 53.
Book and manuscripts expert Matthew Haley of Bonhams said: “The owner bought the book when it first came out in a book shop in the the west of England. He was very nervous about having it in the house so much so that he put it a metal casserole pot under his bed so that if there was a fire it would be safe.
It is a bit bumped at the top and bottom of the spine and there is some rubbing on the corners but this one is in good condition."
The buyer of the book has said he will give all the money to his daughter as a helping hand to get on the property ladder.
A book from the same collection sold for £80,000 at auction earlier this year.
The book goes up for auction on 1 December.
