A watercolor illustration created for the first edition of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has shattered records, selling for $1.9 million (£1.5 million) at a recent auction in the United States.
As per BBC, this sale marks the highest price ever paid for a Harry Potter item, surpassing expectations by fetching more than three times its estimated value.
First auctioned in 2001 for £85,750 (around $108,000 today), the illustration depicts Harry Potter standing in front of the Hogwarts Express.
Created by Thomas Taylor in 1997, the artwork used concentrated watercolours with black pencil outlines and took two days to complete.
Taylor was 23 years old at the time.
"This is really the first visualization of Harry and the wizarding world," said Kalika Sands from Sotheby's auction house.
The pre-sale estimate was between $400,000 and $600,000, the highest ever for a Harry Potter-related work.
The bidding lasted nearly 10 minutes, involving four participants.
However, the buyer's identity was not revealed.
Kalika noted the significant increase in the auction price from 2001 to now reflects the growing popularity of the Harry Potter series, which has spawned movies, theme parks, and captivated new generations of fans.
