£11,500 Sherlock Holmes first edition detected at Oxfam bookshop

A rare first edition of The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle has been uncovered at an Oxfam bookshop in Shrewsbury, selling for £11,520 at Bonhams auction house after staff pieced together clues about its value.

The volume surfaced among routine donations, but the Oxfam team identified tell-tale signs that it was something out of the ordinary. Following a closer examination of its condition, provenance and distinguishing features, the book was referred for specialist assessment and later consigned to Bonhams, where competitive bidding drove the final sale price to £11,520.

The copy is a first edition, first issue from 1890, retaining its original publisher's red cloth binding with gilt lettering on the upper cover and spine. A bookplate inside reveals it once belonged to James Burgess Boote of Gwernaffel, Knighton, who served as High Sheriff of Radnorshire - adding another intriguing chapter to its story.

Tom Cotton, manager of the Oxfam bookshop in Shrewsbury, said: "The book was donated by a very generous, regular donor who had always been delighted to see his books valued highly and placed in our cabinets.

"Initially, I could tell the book was special - it was an early Sherlock Holmes story.

“However, when it comes to appraising antiquarian books, I do not have the power of deduction like Sherlock Holmes - I'm more of a Mrs Hudson! Determining the value was a real group effort. I had my own Baker Street Irregulars: my volunteers, the Oxfam Book Development Team, my Area Manager, and even a close friend of my Area Manager. To prevent the book falling into the Reichenbach Falls of an Oxfam backroom, I used their skills to uncover a rare find!"

Ian Falkingham of Oxfam added: "The proceeds from books donated and sold via Oxfam go directly towards our work - whether that's delivering life-saving aid in conflict zones or helping to provide clean water for communities that desperately need it.

“A sale like this one is a reminder that extraordinary impact can come from unexpected places, and as Holmes himself knew, the most important evidence is often hiding in plain sight. We'd encourage anyone to donate their books to Oxfam, or come and browse - you never know what you might find."