Check your bookshelf - some copies of Harry Potter could be worth £28,000

Ah, the 90s - the decade of Groovy Chick everything, smelly gel pens and Recess.

It seems that all the wonderful things from your childhood are worth a pretty penny these days. If you have still any of these rare Beanie Babies, they could make you seriously rich, and these old Disney VHS tapes are now worth thousands.

And if you still have your original copies of the Harry Potter books, you could be sitting on a fortune.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone first hit bookshelves in 1997, and first editions could be worth a lot.

One copy of the hardback is going to auction today, and the experts are predicting that it'll sell for around £30,000. Only 500 original copies of the first edition Harry Potter book exist, making it very rare and very valuable. It's reportedly in pristine condition, and while the owners originally intended to keep it as a family heirloom they've decided to sell.

By pristine condition, we mean that they went to extreme lengths to keep it looking brand new. It was tucked away in a code-locked suitcase to ensure that it stayed perfectly clean and crisp, and has remained untouched for years.

The couple who are selling this absolute wonder are auctioning the book of anonymously, and said: 'It's been locked away in a briefcase along with a first edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which is also up for auction.

'The plan was to keep them as family heirlooms, which is why my wife put them in a briefcase. It was to stop the pages turning yellow.'

Jim Spencer of Hansons Auctioneers revealed that a similar copy sold in July this year for £28,000, saying: 'A 1997 first edition hardback of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the holy grail for collectors as so few were printed. To find another one so soon after the July sale has knocked my socks off.

'The owners took such great care of their precious cargo they brought it to me in a briefcase, which they unlocked with a code.

'I couldn't believe the condition of it - almost like the day it was made. I can't imagine a better copy can be found. Only 500 copies of the true first impression hardback were printed, 300 of which were sent to libraries and schools.

'This new discovery is scarcer than the previous find, which was a former Staffordshire library book. It deserves to fetch much more.'

It'll be auctioned alongside 11 more Harry Potter first editions, including one signed by J. K. Rowling herself.

Better check your bookshelf immediately.