I bought an old book for 50p from a charity shop – I sold it for £16,000 because of 3 words
A MAN was shocked to discover that an old book he bought for just 50p from a charity shop was actually worth £16,000.
The huge price tag is because the legendary book has a rather dodgy spelling mistake on the cover, which caused it to sell for a fortune.
3
The book in question is an extremely rare first impression edition of JRR Tolkien's classic 1937 novel, The Hobbit.
It was found by Andy Hewson in an animal welfare charity shop in central London, where he bought it for just 50p.
After reading it for a month on the train to and from work, Andy was told by a colleague to see how much it was worth because “it looked old”.
After going down a 'rabbit hole' of research into old Tolkien books, Andy discovered that his book was one of only 1,500 copies released in the first series of books. books.
The Hobbit was highly sought after by thousands of people at the time of its release, as it featured several of the iconic author's original maps and drawings.
But even more amazing and valuable was a small handwritten correction that caused the price of the books to skyrocket – something Andy noticed his book had too.
The back cover of the book had the name of the book's proofreader, Reverend Charles Dodgson, but it was bizarrely misspelled.
Somehow an extra “e” was included in his last name, causing widespread panic among the printing companies when they realized the error.
The shocking blunder forced the printers responsible for The Hobbit books to correct them by hand.
They drew a small line through the extra letter on each copy and sent them on their way.
Dodgson was better known by his pseudonym Lewis Carroll – the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
He was frequently known to read Tolkien's early work and help him with his writing.
Only the first few editions of the Hobbit have the correction on the cover.
This meant that everything that ended up at auction made a big profit.
Andy told me The guard that when he spoke to a book specialist he was told, “I think you may have a very valuable book in your hands.”
He then wrapped it in old underwear and carefully placed it in a sandwich bag so he could take it to the specialist.
Andy then sent the book up for auction, expecting to take home around £7,000.
He said: “I thought, even if I made $500, it would still be great. I only paid $50 for it.”
But when the auction started, the price started at £3,000, which set Andy's heart racing.
He said: “I started feeling a bit sick but tried to keep it together.
“Before I knew it, the bid was already at 10,000 euros. It was very quiet in the room. My girlfriend had come to watch with a few colleagues.
“When it came to £13,000 they shouted, 'Oh my God!' for me. In the end it cost £16,000.”
JRR Tolkien wrote The Hobbit during his time as Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College, Oxford.
It was his first book and served as a prequel to his greatest story, The Lord of The Rings.
The children's story was a huge success with audiences around the world and has since been published in more than 60 languages.
Ways to make money from charity shops
While many people like to thrift shop charity stores, only a few know how to turn it into a profitable side business.
Charity shops usually sell things donated by other people – sometimes very rich people giving away expensive things.
And they can be a treasure trove when it comes to picking up high-quality items at affordable prices.
People who shop at thrift stores at such stores can resell the items to make a profit for themselves.
One of the best platforms for selling goods bought from charity shops is eBay, where you can easily earn a few hundred pounds by putting in some part-time hours.
Luke Hadley says he earns an extra £500 every month by reselling items from charity shops.
He turned to resale last April, when millions of households were feeling the pinch of rising bills from energy to food.
The father-of-one searches his local charity shops for women's clothes from high-end stores and sells them on eBay for a profit.
Hadley, from the West Midlands, says it is worth it as he was able to give his 14-month-old son Harrison and partner Catherine Saunders, 25, a Christmas to remember.
He also took the family on a week-long holiday to Butlins and has started building up his savings and a separate emergency fund.
Meanwhile, a charity shop guru has shared his top three tips that could help you make a fortune.
According to the expert, people should look for shoes from brands such as Nike and Adidas because they sell quickly and generate the highest turnover.
The second tip to make good profits is to buy seasonal clothes from charity shops as they are always in high demand.
And finally, people should always check for vintage and antique items as these may prove to be very rare or valuable.
3