ANTIQUES Road Trip expert Natasha Raskin Sharp was shocked when she discovered a collection of rare first edition books that made her a huge profit.
The auctioneer and her friend Philip Serrell came across a pair of clothbound volumes from 1937.
She said: "These are by Virginia Woolf, and they're all Hogarth Press, which was her own press.
The novelist, who with her husband Leonard founded the press in 1917, was regarded as the most significant modernist writer of the 20th century.
"They have come from one collector, evidently an avid reader…so published by Leonard and Virginia, 1937," she said as she turned the pages of The Years.
After reading some pages, Natasha froze and exclaimed, "I think that's a legitimate first edition.
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"It appears to be a genuine first edition. Gosh, that's really beautiful."
The owner of the antique shop, Irene, charged her £25 for all eight books, which she later sent to an auction house in Belfast.
The Virginia Woolf book collection caught the attention of auctioneer Karl Bennett as he said, "We are seeing a growth in the people who are looking to buy and collect books.
He then said this one would do "very well".
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Natasha gasped in delight when Karl received a commission bid of £95 prior to the bidding war.
The gavel finally struck at £150 after much back and forth in the room and online, earning Natasha a profit of £125.
She said to Phi: Oh I'm so please, I'm so chuffed."
Phil gave her his congrats and added: "Congrats, Tash! That is the best result. Congratulations, you must now set the example."
Natasha bagged herself a profit of £308.
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