The Harry Potter chair is basically the Elder Wand of the literary world. It is the sorcerous item on which sat author J.K. Rowling's brilliant bum while she wrote, edited, and revised the first two books of the Harry Potter series.
And now, the four-legged dining room piece belongs to one lucky bidder who snagged it for a cool $394,000, the AP reports.
The chair itself isn't that impressive — it's old, it's worn in, and Rowling even got it for free. But the history created while she sat atop the chair is priceless.
The chair itself isn't that impressive — it's old, it's worn in, and Rowling even got it for free. But the history created while she sat atop the chair is priceless.
The furniture piece does feature some embellishments, which Rowling added before giving it up in 2002. The back bars of the chair read, "You may not / find me pretty / but don't judge / on what you see," and the seat says, "I wrote / Harry Potter / while sitting / on this chair." Her signature, in gold, is also on the backrest.
Along with the decorated chair comes a note from the author that gives some context to the now-famous throne. She writes, "Dear new-owner-of-my-chair. I was given four mismatched dining room chairs in 1995 and this was the comfiest one, which is why it ended up stationed permanently in front of my typewriter, supporting me while I typed out 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' and 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'. My nostalgic side is quite sad to see it go, but my back isn't. J. K. Rowling."
News reports just days before the auction did not anticipate the chair would rake in such a high sum. The bidding started at the modest (in context) price of $65,000, USA Today reports.
The previous owner of the chair, who is now nearly half-a-million dollars richer, is an English businessman named Gerald Gray. He bought the chair in 2009 for $29,000, after his daughter, a big Harry Potter fan, spotted it on eBay. He plans to donate 10% of his profit to Rowling's charity, Lumos.