A MAN was shocked to discover an old book he bought for just 50p from a charity shop was actually worth £16,000.
The whopping price tag comes from the legendary book having a rather dodgy misspelling on the cover that made it sell for a fortune.
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The book in question is an extremely rare first impression edition of J.R.R 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 spending a month reading it on the train to and from work Andy was told by a colleague to check to see how much it was worth as “it looked old”.
After going down a “rabbit hole” researching old Tolkien books, Andy found that his was one of just 1,500 copies released in the first batch of books.
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The Hobbit was desperately wanted by thousands at the time of its release as it included several original maps and drawings by the iconic author.
But even more astonishing and valuable was a tiny handwritten correction that caused the price of the books to skyrocket – something that Andy noticed his book also had.
The back flap of the cover had the name of the book’s proofreader Reverend Charles Dodgson on it but it was bizarrely spelt wrong.
An extra “e” was somehow included in his surname and resulted in a major panic at the printers once they realised the error.
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The shocking blunder meant the printers in charge of The Hobbit novels were forced to correct it by hand.
They drew a tiny line through the additional letter on every single copy and sent them on their way.
Dodgson was better known by his pen name of Lewis Carroll – the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
He was regularly known to read over Tolkien’s early work and help him with his writing.
Just the first few editions of the Hobbit have the correction on the cover.
This meant any that ended up at auction racked in a big profit.
Andy told The Guardian that when he spoke to a book specialist he was told: “I think you might have a very valuable book on your hands.”
He then wrapped it in a pair of old underwear and carefully put it inside a sandwich bag so he could take it to the specialist.
Andy then sent the book off for auction expecting to take home around £7,000.
He said: “I was thinking, even if I make £500 quid, it would still be amazing. I only paid 50p for it.”
But when the auction kicked off it started at £3,000, causing Andy’s heart to race.
He said: “I started to feel a bit nauseous, but was trying to hold it together.
“The bidding had reached 10 grand before I knew it. It was very quiet in the room. My girlfriend had come to watch with a couple of her colleagues.
“As it got to £13,000, they were mouthing, ‘Oh my God!’ to me. It finally went for £16,000.”
J.R.R Tolkien wrote The Hobbit during his time as a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College, Oxford.
It was his first book and went on to act as the prequel for his biggest tale, The Lord of The Rings.
The children’s story was a massive success with audiences from around the globe and has since gone on to be published in over 60 languages.
Ways to make money off charity shops
While many people love to thrift shop at charity stores, only a few know how to turn it into a profitable side hustle.
Charity shops usually sell items that are donated by other people – sometimes very rich ones who give away expensive stuff.
And they can be treasure troves when it comes to picking up high-quality items at affordable prices.
People thrift shopping at such stores can resell the items to make a profit for themselves.
One of the best platforms to sell goods bought from charity stores is eBay, where one can easily make a few hundred pounds by putting in some part-time hours.
Luke Hadley says he makes an extra £500 each month by reselling stuff from charity shops.
He turned his hand to reselling last April when millions of households felt the pinch of rising bills from energy to food.
The dad-of-one scours his local charity shops for womenswear from posh high street shops and sells them for a profit on eBay.
Hadley from the West Midlands, says it’s worth it as he’s been able to give his 14-month-old son Harrison and partner Catherine Saunders, 25 a Christmas to remember.
He also took the family away on a week-long holiday to Butlins and has started to build 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 scout for footwear from brands such as Nike and Adidas, as they sell quickly and give out the highest turnovers.
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The second tip to make good profits is to buy seasonal clothes from charity shops as they are always in demand.
And lastly, people should always check for vintage and antique items as they might turn out to be really rare or valuable.
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