《哈利·波特》丛书将以每本数千美元的价格出售
《哈利·波特》丛书将以每本数千美元的价格出售
A grandmother picked them up thinking they might be nice to read to the little ones - only to discover their true worth later on with one expert describing them as "rare as hen's teeth".
一位祖母把它们捡起来，以为给孩子们读会很有趣，但后来才发现它们的真正价值，一位专家形容它们“像母鸡的牙齿一样罕见”。
Three rare Harry Potter books are going under the gavel.
三本罕见的《哈利·波特》丛书正被拍卖。
A first edition hardback of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone and two paperback first editions of the same novel are expected to fetch thousands.
《哈利波特与魔法石》的第一版精装本和同一部小说的两个平装本的第一版预计能卖到数千英镑。
The books were saved in 2008 by a Buckinghamshire teacher, as the school was clearing out its library in preparation for an Ofsted inspection.
这些书是2008年被一位白金汉郡的老师保留下来的，当时学校正在清理图书馆，为英国教育标准局的检查做准备。
Valuers said hardback copies of the book, of which only 500 were printed in 1997. were as "rare as hen's teeth".
估价师表示，该书的精装本“像母鸡的牙齿一样罕见”。1997年，该书仅印刷了500本。
Of the original publishing run, about 300 were sent to schools and libraries, and contained various printing errors corrected in subsequent versions.
在最初的出版过程中，大约有300本被送到了学校和图书馆，并在随后的版本中更正了各种印刷错误。
The hardback is expected to fetch between £8.000 and £12.000 while the two paperbacks have a guide price of £2.000 to £3.000 each.
这本精装本的售价预计在8000英镑至12000英镑之间，而两本平装本的指导价为2000英镑至3000英镑。
The books are going under the hammer, along with other Harry Potter lots, in an online-only auction being held by Hansons, of Derbyshire, at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire, on May 21.
5月21日，德比郡的汉森斯在斯塔福德郡的比什顿大厅举办了一场仅供网上拍卖的哈利波特系列书籍拍卖会。
Explaining how she came by the books, the seller, a 65-year-old grandmother who did not wish to be named, said: "It just seemed awful to throw them away, so I picked up about five Harry Potter books.
卖家是一位不愿透露姓名的65岁祖母，她在解释自己是如何得到这些书的时说:“把它们扔掉似乎很糟糕，所以我捡到了大约五本《哈利波特》。”
"I thought they might be useful for my children or grandchildren in the future.
“我想它们将来可能会对我的孩子或孙子有用。
"It was better than seeing them go to waste.
“这总比看着它们白白浪费掉要好。
"At the time, I had no idea they were of any value and neither did the school.
“当时，我不知道它们有什么价值，学校也不知道。
"They'd been well read and the school always ensured its library was pristine for Ofsted inspections. "
“它们被广泛阅读，学校总是确保它的图书馆在英国教育标准局的检查中是崭新的。”
She put all the books in the loft, until her son mentioned to her they could be valuable.
她把所有的书都放在阁楼里，直到她儿子告诉她这些书可能很有价值。
"He investigated and a London business offered £4.000 for one of the paperbacks there and then, but they just went back into the loft," she added.
她补充道:“他发现，一家伦敦公司出价4000英镑买下了其中一本平装书，然后，他们又回到了阁楼。”
"Last year we were watching a TV interview with Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, about the sale of a Harry Potter first edition which sold for thousands at auction and decided to get in touch," she said.
她说：“去年，我们在电视上看到了汉森拍卖行老板查尔斯·汉森的访谈，内容是关于一部《哈利波特》第一版的拍卖，该书在拍卖会上以数千英镑的价格售出，我们决定联系他。”
Jim Spencer, Hansons' book expert, said: "Hardback first editions of Philosopher's Stone are as rare as hen's teeth.
汉森的图书专家吉姆·斯宾塞说：“精装版的《魔法石》第一版和母鸡的牙齿一样罕见。
"They're the holy grail for collectors."
“它们是收藏家的圣杯。”
He added: "The reason why I've put what may seem like a humble estimate of £8.000 to £12.000 on the latest copy is because the binding is damaged.
他补充道:“我之所以在最新版本上花8000到12000英镑，这一看似不起眼的估价，是因为书的装订破损了。”
"Internally it's very good, though, and could surprise us.
“但从内部来说，这非常好，可能会给我们带来惊喜。”
"The paperback first editions are in good condition and could fly above their estimates."
“平装书的第一版状况良好，可能会超出他们的估计。”
Less rare first editions sell for anything between thousands and £20 depending on their condition and the print run.
不那么稀有的第一版书售价在几千到20英镑之间，取决于它们的状况和印刷量。
But they are far from the only books worth far more now than what people paid for them – with even some 2008 books now fetching hundreds if you sell them.
但它们绝不是目前唯一价值远高于人们购买价格的书籍——即便是一些2008年出版的书，现在卖出去也能卖到几百美元。
