‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ Original Cover Artwork Sells for $1.9 Million
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The original watercolour illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold for a record-breaking US$1.9 million on Wednesday, becoming the most valuable Harry Potter item ever sold at auction.
Thomas Taylor’s artwork, which sold at Sotheby’s in New York, was featured on the covers of the first edition of the 1997 novel. Prior to the auction, its price estimate was between US$400,000 and US$600,000—the highest pre-sale estimate ever placed on a Harry Potter-related item.
The illustration was first offered at auction in 2001 at Sotheby’s in London, where it sold for a then-record £85,750 (US$121,431 at the time).
Taylor was just 23 and working in a bookshop when he received his first professional commission to create a cover for J.K. Rowling ’s first novel. Taylor came up with the first-ever depiction of Harry Potter, which has now become the universal image for the iconic character.
The previous record for a Harry Potter auction item was set in 2021 when an unsigned first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold for US$421,000 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. A handwritten copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard by Rowling sold in a charity auction at Sotheby’s in 2007 for £1.95 million, however the copy had been produced specifically to raise money for the author’s charity, Lumos, which supports the end of the institutionalisation of children worldwide.
The cover art sold as part of the library of Dr. Rodney P. Swantko, a significant collection of 19th- and 20th-century English and American literature, according to Sotheby’s.
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China is Australia’s largest trading partner, but Australia’s growing security ties with the U.S. has added complexity to its relationship with Beijing
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SYDNEY—China will lift a ban on Australian rock lobster imports by the end of the year, Australia’s prime minister said Thursday, as ties between the two major trading partners continue to stabilise.
The announcement, following months of speculation, comes after China previously lifted trade barriers on various other Australian goods including barley, wine and beef. Beijing imposed the restrictions in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, during a diplomatic spat with Australia’s previous government.
Many of Australia’s live lobsters were sent to China prior to the ban, which sent prices spiralling downward.
“With our patient, calibrated and deliberate approach, we’ve restored Australian trade with our largest export market,” Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese said Thursday after meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang alongside an Asean summit in Laos. “We’ve worked for the removal of trade impediments one by one.”
Albanese said the lifting of the ban would support Australian jobs, and noted the ban will be lifted in time for Lunar New Year in early 2025.
China is Australia’s largest trading partner, but Australia’s growing security ties with the U.S. has added complexity to its relationship with Beijing. Ahead of the meeting with Li, Albanese said his message would be that “we’ll cooperate where we can, we’ll disagree where we must.”
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
