Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by JMS1223 on September 5, 2023 at 5:30am

Looks convincing but I can’t be sure. Letter could be printed and book a good forgery being sold with letter to make it seem legit. If the price is low I would say it’s too good to be true. 

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Permalink Reply by Ash on September 5, 2023 at 5:33am

Some more pics of letter 

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Permalink Reply by Ash on September 5, 2023 at 5:37am

I’ve contacted one of the largest sellers of genuine Harry Potter books who I’ve paid to look over it , will let you know what they say , Paid £850 

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Permalink Reply by Findbooks on September 5, 2023 at 7:00am

I can usually tell immediately without a second glance and my first instinct was that it's good.

On second view I can see an unusual K configuration but I still like it.

850 is very steep for a pb, though :-(

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Permalink Reply by michelle on September 5, 2023 at 8:09am

This looks familiar

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Permalink Reply by Ash on September 5, 2023 at 8:46am

Can you explain more ? 

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Permalink Reply by michelle on September 5, 2023 at 9:06am

I am pretty sure I have seen this letter  or something very similiar up for sale quite recently but cant remember where

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Permalink Reply by Ash on September 5, 2023 at 2:20pm

With the letter though connecting the book I’ve not seen another like it or if there’s is there isn’t many , thought that made it lil bit more special tbh 

also book is A1 condition 

thanks for anyone who has taken the time out to look at the post 👍

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Permalink Reply by crazyrabbits23 on September 6, 2023 at 12:38am

Personally, I don't consider author correspondence to be indicative of the validity of a book unless (a) it's expressly tied to the recipient in a way that undoubtedly proves authenticity (i.e. an association copy with a close friend of the author), or (b) the author used a signature style that's generally unlike their standard fare as a way to personalize the letter. That goes doubly so for any high-value title, particularly Potter, where there are luminous websites online that exhaustively catalogue her different signature styles.

The correspondence I've found from authors over the years generally hit at least one of the two aforementioned points. I don't think the letter in this instance is indicative of the authenticity of the book. If anything, it has red flags that would give me pause as a collector, especially 

(a) The letter's signature is dead-on in the centre of the page, which seems oddly convenient for a random fan letter. Part of me thinks this is a pre-print -- and there are very good ones out there; I've been taken a couple times by (cheap) EBay listings for Prime Ministers and authors where it was clear the document was a pre-print when I got it. Check the backside for ink marks in the sig.

(b) The response from Rowling is... odd, particularly for an author who (as far as we know) was knee-deep on getting a fifth book out (if the date on this letter is correct), which was right in the center of the book run's popularity. What kind of author is requesting the fan to provide another response noting whether they want to send their book or request a bookplate?

(c) There's no evidence that this was signed by a member of Rowling's staff (assistant/publicity coordinator/etc. The fact that it's purportedly a signed letter from her, to a random fan, in the midst of the book's zenith of popularity, essentially having a quasi-penpal conversation where she wants to know what the fan is going to do, is unlike any other piece of author-fan correspondence I've seen.

(d) As noted on historical data, she didn't do public signings for Goblet, Phoenix or Half-Blood Prince. Why is this letter tied to a "randomly signed" copy of the second book? If it was signed randomly by her and she knew the fan (extremely low chance), why isn't there any other documentation, particularly as she never seemed to have a problem personalizing some books?

(e) There are other examples of the "Owl Post" correspondence she did during this time, but the example I found doesn't mention anything about requesting a signature, and the listing specifically mentions a pre-print. Compare:

(f) Apparently, Rowling was legitimately signing postcards for fans around this time (2002-03), but such a postcard isn't included with this, and the letter doesn't mention that the book was sent in and returned (or left in holding). Another red flag.

I would look at this as a pre-printed fan letter (which may have been manipulated and re-copied, and possibly with a manipulated envelope), put together with a faked book and sold as legitimate. For the price, there are too many red flags to consider. I'd look more towards any of the titles that have a legit Bloomsbury bookplate.

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Permalink Reply by Ash on September 6, 2023 at 12:53am

Thanks for this  in depth reply , I sent the letter and book to a Harry Potter specialist and they got back to me yesterday, they say the book signature is genuine , but like you they asked for more pictures of the letter as they are unsure and say the signature on the letter is a face smile possibly but need more pics , with this in mind the item was sold to me as being hand signed  letter and book, which it is not so il be returning the item as it’s not as described and is in fact a copy of the signature in the letter 

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Permalink Reply by crazyrabbits23 on September 6, 2023 at 12:58am

I'm not a fan of the J or K, either - they look extremely shaky. I don't consider myself anywhere near an expert on Rowling stuff, but if the price was that high  I'd be picking at every little penstroke with a fine-toothed comb. 

I think you made the right call, in this case.

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