Man named Harry Potter to sell rare first edition Harry Potter book worth up to £30,000

‘I’ve had the Mick taken out of me over the years, but you get used to it.

‘I’m quite outgoing, and I’ve handled it pretty well, plus it has its pros. When I was 12 and the first Potter film was released, we were invited to be family of the week on the Big Breakfast TV show. I met lots of stars including Gwen Stefani and Ben Stiller.

‘My current boss assumed my surname was Shaw because that’s my mum’s new married name, and she works for him. When he found out I’m called Harry Potter, he said he should have paid me more because people would always remember me.

‘When you ring someone up, and they ask your name they usually dissolve into laughter or say ‘you’re joking’. It makes making a complaint quite difficult.’

Hardback copies of the first edition have been described as the “holy grail” for collectors with, of the 500 copies printed, 300 having been sent to schools and libraries and just 200 going to shops.

Harry also plans to share proceeds from the sale of the book with his sister Katie Sign, 36, an accountant and mum to Freddie, one, from Waterlooville.

Being four years older than Harry, she has vivid memories of the book’s arrival at the family home back in 1997.

Katie said: ‘I remember dad bursting through the front door after work brandishing a book, proclaiming “you’ll never believe what I’ve got!”.’

At first, they were confused, wondering if someone could possibly have written a book about young Harry, but their dad explained that after he’d heard Terry Wogan talking about the book on Radio 2 he turned his van around and drove to Bay Tree Bookshop in Waterlooville and to buy a copy.

Katie added: ‘The novelty and coincidence of the namesake was what made us open that first book, but the magic of the story kept us turning the pages for years.

‘Harry was eight, and I was 12 when we first read the books together. I would read aloud and despite calling Hermione ‘Hermy-one’ until at least halfway through The Chamber of Secrets, my Dobby impression is second-to-none.

‘The book had pride of place on the windowsill next to my bed and was eventually joined by the whole collection. They’ve stayed on a shelf or a windowsill in every house I’ve lived in for 20 years. It was a treasure to us long before it had any value to the rest of the world.

‘Our dad passed away at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer in October 2017, and we love and miss him dearly. It was shortly after this we realised the old book we’d loved and treasured for 20 years was a sought-after first edition copy.

‘Our dad, David James Potter, was a wise and loving man who believed the richest people were those who lived life to its fullest, and that experience had more value than money.

‘Selling the book then, despite its financial value, was of no interest to us. It was one of few lasting, tangible treasures we had from our dad. So, the book was retired to a protective sandwich bag in the cupboard under the stairs, and there it remained for four years.

‘Over time we realised the book had changed for us. We knew rare first editions were selling for tens of thousands of pounds. It wasn’t any longer something we could enjoy, or love, without fear of damaging it. We aren’t investors or collectors, we’re two grown-up kids who would like to enjoy life the way our dad prescribed – to its fullest. The book is the legacy dad left us to do that.

‘With the proceeds from the sale, we would like to take dad’s ashes to Africa, the place he asked to finally rest, where we can make new and fantastic memories with our own children and families. After all, “it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live’ – Albus Dumbledore”.’