The original illustration for the cover of the first Harry Potter book set a new record at Sotheby's auction, going under the hammer for 1,9 million USD. This is the most expensive sale of an item related to the young wizard franchise.
This is reported by daily.afisha.ru with reference to the BBC.
Created in 1997 by 23 years old artist Thomas Taylor, the watercolor painting was the first to visualize Harry Potter and his world. The illustration shows the main character in front of the Hogwarts Express.
The bidding lasted 10 minutes, and the final price was three times higher than expected. The buyer remained anonymous.
It is noteworthy that in 2001 the same cover was sold for approximately 108 thousand dollars. This significant price increase reflects the incredible success of J.K. Rowling's book series.