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What diehard Harry Potter fans need
In a magical world, galleons probably can't buy everything, but this is a Muggles' world.
July 8, 2003: 10:34 AM EDT
By Joseph Lee, CNN/Money Staff Writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - If you are a Potterhead, imagine the sense of anticipation as you are handed a magical-looking wooden box.

You hurry to open it, and inside find a signed copy of the fifth volume in the Harry Potter series or a rare uncorrected copy of "The Prisoner of Azkaban."


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You've attained Potter-nirvana in the world of Pottermania.

Indeed, if you're one of those diehard collectors who need to own all Harry Potter books and other Potterana, you know that living through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a risky -- and sometimes very expensive -- journey.

The first four Harry Potter books have sold nearly 200 million copies in 55 languages and 200 countries. Now, Harry's devoted fans have been eagerly waiting by Platform 9-3/4 -- where Potter set off for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry -- for the fifth book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

If you feel that magical pull to join the ranks of serious Potterheads, here's your wish list.

Autographed copy of "Order of the Phoenix"

Start with the books -- the core of the Harry Potter experience. On Amazon.com or at Barnes & Noble bookstores, you can purchase the fifth installment, beginning midnight Friday, at a discounted price of $18.

But if you are looking for an autographed "Order of the Phoenix," signed by author J.K. Rowling, galleons -- currency used in the world of witches and wizards -- might not do the trick.

 
The first U.S. signed copy of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" will be displayed at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue.

Though signed copies are rare, Potterheads do have a chance to bid for a signed copy of the book on eBay.co.uk after an earlier auction of the volume fell through.

Rowling donated the signed copy to deaf-blind charity Sense back in March, and the sale has been intended to raise money for the London-based organization.

The bid started at $80 (£50), but it stands now at about $2,800 (£1,650).

Initially, a fan bid $8,000 for the book, but Sense said it had been unable to contact the buyer.

U.S. publisher Scholastic said it also has a signed copy of "Order of the Phoenix," but that copy will be displayed at the New York Public Library on Fifth Ave. for only a short period of time before being transferred to its permanent home at the Donnell Library Center.

Harry Potter's uncorrected advance copy

A rare review copy of the third Harry Potter book also has surfaced on eBay, and the bidding price started at $3,000.

The seller told CNN/Money that she obtained the uncorrected copy of "The Prisoner of Azkaban" while working in the publishing industry back in the late 1990s.

 
A rare uncorrected copy of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" has surfaced on auction site eBay.

She said Scholastic stopped sending out review copies after the third book, and any uncorrected versions of the first three books are a rarity.

The seller also said the book is in perfect condition and has never been sold in stores.

Back to the basics

Beyond that, there is an endless amount of merchandise. At Warner Bros.' online store, for example, they sell Harry Potter scarfs ($24.95), T-shirts ($13.95) and brown, tattered Hogwarts Sorting Hat ($24.95); short-sighted fans can even purchase a pair of Potteresque glasses with extra-thick round frames at eyeglass vendors such as Pearle Vision Center and Eye World.

For fellow students, Harry's face has been emblazoned on backpacks and notebooks and folders -- along with images of Quidditch, Bertie Botts, Gryffindor and Hogwarts. (If you haven't read the books, some of these terms will be meaningless to you. But trust us, their images are on backpacks.)

Whole rooms can be thoroughly decked out with the image of the bespectacled boy wizard. A few possibilities include a set of Harry Potter sheets and a decoration or two -- Harry Potter's Gryffindor Victory statue and Harry Potter's Hagrid's New Arrival statue -- are two popular options.

If you want to keep your Potter novels fashionably displayed, Harry Potter and his best friend Hermione can be put to work as a pair of bookends.

You can even eat like a wizard if you like -- Jelly Belly sells bags of Bertie Botts beans (jellybeans favored by the wizard crowd) in flavors like Toast, Coconut and Strawberry.

Bertie Botts beans also come in flavors like Grass, Black Pepper and Sardine. To commemorate the first movie, Jelly Belly actually made beans in Vomit flavor -- the flavor that turned the Headmaster of Hogwarts off of Bertie Botts beans forever. Now you can see if they have the same effect on you.

Want active involvement in Harry's adventures, instead of just reading about them in books? Get your hands on some of the toys and games that are now available.

Try Harry Potter trivia on Amazon.com ($24.99), with 750 questions about the books. If you think you know it all, think again: Each question can be answered three different ways.

Fans of the board game clue will love Harry Potter's Mystery at Hogwarts Board Game. It's a similar detective game -- but instead of secret passageways, you might encounter a roaming ghost that sends you back to the starting line. Harry Potter's Sorcerer's Glow Puzzle and Quidditch Glow Puzzle have special hidden images that are revealed when you complete the puzzle and turn out the lights.  Top of page




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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.