Skip to main content

Attention Harry Potter superfans: J.K. Rowling's beloved writing chair is being auctioned

Attention Harry Potter superfans: J.K. Rowling's beloved writing chair is being auctioned

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

While you can't put yourself in the shoes of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, you could place yourself in her seat. The chair the author sat in while writing the first two Potter books will be auctioned next month at Heritage Auctions in New York City, according to The Guardian.

Noah Fleisher from Heritage Auctions explains the chair's provenance in a promotional video for the auction, quoting a letter from Rowling herself: "I was given four mismatched dining room chairs in 1995," she writes, "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."

The oak chair was hand-painted by Rowling, who added "I wrote Harry Potter while sitting on this chair" in gold paint to the seat. For those interested, I will paint "I just wrote this Harry Potter post while sitting on this chair" onto my desk chair. You don't even need to pay for it. I'm just looking for an excuse to use my model paint set.

The chair was originally donated by Rowling for a 2002 auction, and has changed owners a couple of times since. The opening bid will be $45,000, a substantial increase in value, considering the current consignor purchased it for £19,555, roughly $29,117. As an investment, the chair is truly magical.

Now, when can we buy those shoes?