JK ROWLING has revealed that the rare book market is flooded with copies of her books featuring forged signatures.
First edition copies of the original Harry Potter novel signed by the elusive author are being sold for up to £1,800 on online auctions.
And other copies of the later installments featuring her signature are also fetching hefty bids well into the hundreds of pounds.
But Rowling has revealed that there are plenty of fakes up for sale – and buyers should beware of parting with their cash.
A fan tweeted at Rowling at lunchtime asking: “Are the books signed on Ebay genuine? Like the one claiming you signed at a film premiere? Do you signed there?”
Rowling replied: “Reputable book dealers who verify signature and provenance your best bet. Unfortunately, lots of fakes out there.”
One fan claimed: “The only ones off Ebay that are guaranteed genuine at the ones with the hologram stickers.”
But Rowling debunked the theory, urging buyers to have experts appraise the books before splashing out.
She said: “They’re more likely to be genuine, but some signed books never had a hologram. Always best to have expert verification.”
Other concerned fans agreed with the millionaire writer.
One said: “I would steer clear of Ebay and most online distributors claiming the same.”
One gushing Potter fan said: “It is honestly one of my goals in life to one day own a signed book of yours. Man, I would treasure it.”
But other fans had fun with original poster – who asked how to tell whether a signature was a fake.
One Scots fan said: “I’d avoid the ones signed Jaikey Rolling. Them’s the fakes.”
Another quipped: “It it’s written in crayon it’s probably not real.”
