Check your attic for rare £43k item as UK homeowner strikes gold - full list

A fortunate Brit found themselves £43,000 richer after unearthing an extremely rare first-edition copy of The Hobbit, discovered during a routine house clearance. The 1937 work by J R R Tolkien was spotted nestled deep within an old bookcase in a Bristol home, as one of only 1,500 copies initially printed in September 1937.

The rare book was expected to fetch 10K but sold for £43,000 at auction after hundreds of bidders had signed up from all over the world. The lucky bidder was a private collector based in the UK.

Besides The Hobbit, there are numerous other books that could fetch thousands of pounds. With this in mind, people are being encouraged to rummage through their attics and bookcases for any nostalgic hidden gems that could bring in a tidy sum.

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The team at home insurance company Homeprotect conducted research to identify the most valuable first-edition listings of classic children's books. If sold, they could provide a financial boost amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Jane Austen's beloved classic, Pride and Prejudice, has been crowned the most valuable literary hidden treasure, with first edition copies fetching up to £139,356. Originally published in 1813 for a mere 18 shillings (around £52 in today's money), the book's value has skyrocketed by 267,892 per cent, reports Bristol Live. This romantic tale remains Austen's most popular work, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, accounting for over two-thirds of her total book sales.

Trailing just under £100,000 behind Pride and Prejudice is the classic adventure novel Robinson Crusoe by 18th-century author Daniel Defoe. Hailed as 'the first English novel,' it was initially published in 1719 for an estimated five shillings (£36.89 in 2023) - marking a staggering 106,219 per cent price increase over two centuries. Robinson Crusoe holds a significant place in literary history due to its realist writing style. It not only inspired Charles Dickens but also birthed the Robinsonade literary genre.

J R R Tolkien's The Hobbit, recognised as the Book of the 20th Century, ranks third in terms of value, with first editions averaging at £27,174. When it was first published in 1937, only 1500 copies were released, each sold for roughly £17.81 (adjusted for inflation), representing an increase of 142,329 per cent.

The fourth and fifth most prized first editions are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with first edition listings averaging at £20,381 and £18,735, respectively. Carroll's whimsical story has sold roughly 100 million copies since its debut in 1865, and its initial price of four shillings is now worth about £16.54 today, a whopping 123,126 per cent increase.

Dickens' festive tale sold out just a week after it hit the shelves in 1843. Its five-shilling value is now equivalent to nearly £19.08 (a staggering 98,093.9 per cent increase in value).

Rounding off the top 10 most valuable first-edition children's books are The Velveteen Rabbit at £16,953, Swallows and Amazons at £15,133, The Diary of a Young Girl at £13,353, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea at £12,383, and finally, Grimm's Fairy Tales, recently listed for £10,008. You can view the full study here.

David Joyson, Chief Customer Officer at Homeprotect, commented on the findings, saying: "It's astounding to see how much the value of these novels has soared, and during challenging financial times, it might encourage many of us to rummage through our garages, lofts, and storage units for hidden gems that could be worth far more than anticipated.

"First edition books are a highly collectable and often overlooked and underestimated item of value, so before you give away or donate your old children's books, do your research to ensure you aren't throwing away a small fortune! If you have any of these valuable items lying around your home, or if you come across an item you think may have a high value, get them professionally valued, so you know if they are worth insuring and to avoid underinsuring.

"Rare or antique books may be covered by your contents insurance, but it's always worth checking the specific policy terms with your insurer and to confirm that you have an adequate amount of contents cover."