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As JK Rowling's childhood home is put on the market, we look at bricks and mortar collectibles

A house in which author JK Rowling spent her early years is currently up for grabs.

Church Cottage, in Tutshill, near Chepstow, Wales is on the market for £400,000.

Some may see the house as the ultimate JK Rowling collectible, especially as rare items associated with the author of the Harry Potter books can reach vast sums.

First edition books that would have cost just a few pounds or dollars when they were first published in 1997 are now selling for $10,000.

Better still, if one of those books is signed by author JK Rowling herself, the lucky owner could now be looking at an asset worth $25,000.

Rowling's autograph is also one to watch. According to the industry's PFC40 Autographs Index, the author's signature rose by 279.7% over the past 11 years.

Yet buildings, or even the wallpaper, associated with famous names or historical events can become collectibles in their own right, as collectors willing to spend large sums of money are not put off by repair or relocation costs.

Take pieces by Bristol graffiti artist Banksy. A wall containing a depiction of a classical painter daubing Banksy's name sold for £208,100 at an online auction in 2008.

Slabs of the Berlin Wall can sell for thousands

The piece, originally painted on a building in Portobello Road, west London, received more than 60 bids.

The price did not include £5,000 for removal and subsequent repair of the wall.

In 2008, a large slab of the Berlin Wall achieved £6,150. The wall has been the subject of many forgeries over the years, such is the desire for pieces of this historic structure, and prospective buyers are urged to proceed with caution.

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Image: Yann Forget