A statue depicting Harry Potter.[AFP]

A first edition of the debut Harry Potter novel by J.K. Rowling is expected to sell for up to 7,000 pounds (10,300 euros, 13,950 dollars) at an auction in London on June 26.

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," the first in the series about the young wizard, will be sold by the auction house Bonhams.

Between 500 and 1,000 copies of the first edition of that novel were published in 1997, signalling the beginning of one of the biggest successes in publishing history.

Since that initial publication, the Harry Potter series of books have sold a combined 325 million copies around the world in 64 languages, and have formed the basis for five hit films.

Previous first editions of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" have fetched more than 10,000 pounds at other sales.

The auction is set to take place less than a month before the seventh and final edition in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," goes on sale on July 21.