NEW YORK CITY — The chair used by author J.K. Rowling while she wrote the first two Harry Potter books – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – sold for a magical $394,000 at a public auction of rare books held April 6 by Heritage Auctions at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. The opening bid was $45,000.
“I was quite surprised [J.K. Rowling] would sell the chair; she originally sold it for a children’s charity,” said owner Gerald Gray, a native of England and the CEO of AutoKontrol USA, Inc. “Following in the tradition that J.K. Rowling started with this chair, I plan to donate 10 percent of the hammer price to Lumos, Rowlings’ children’s charity.
“And I truly believe it should be on display somewhere,” said Gray, who attended the auction at the Waldorf Astoria.
The winning bidder wishes to remain anonymous.
Rowling donated the chair to a small auction in 2002 called Chair-ish a Child, to benefit the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Rather than selling it in its original form, Rowling used gold, rose and green paints to transform the chair into a piece of literary memorabilia. It sold for $21,000.
Accompanying the chair is the original “Owl Post” that Rowling typed and signed to the winner of the Chair-ish a Child auction. It reads: “Dear new-owner-of-my-chair / I was given four mismatched dining room chairs in 1995 and this was the comfiest one, which is why it / ended up stationed permanently in front of my typewriter, supporting me while I typed out ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ and ‘Harry / Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. / My nostalgic side is quite sad to see it go, but my back isn’t. / J. K. Rowling.”
On the stiles and splats she painted: “You may not / find me pretty / but don’t judge / on what you see.” She signed the backrest and then, along the apron of the seat, she painted: “I wrote / Harry Potter / while sitting / on this chair.” “Gryffindor” is painted on the cross stretcher under the seat.
A full review of the sale will appear in a future issue. For more information, www.ha.com.
