Royal memorabilia to mark the coronation of King Charles is now on sale.
From official chinaware by the Royal Collection Trust to commemorative items from Wedgewood and even a Union flag hooded blanket from M&S – a range of collectables and royal-themed souvenirs have been released ahead of the big event on May 6.
While Charles II was thought to be the first monarch to have his coronation commemorated on a piece of china back in 1661 – enthusiasm for collecting royal memorabilia only really took off hundreds of years later in the 1960s when the growth of television and the media fuelled an increasing interest in the royal family.
While official commemorative royal souvenirs often centre on ceramics and fine china – everything from newspaper cuttings to coins can prove to be popular collector’s items years later.
As preparations and celebrations for May’s coronation gather pace – we take a look at some of the royal souvenirs and memorabilia to have been produced over the last century that you or your family may still have tucked away in the back of a cupboard.
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 2022
Mugs, water bottles and – in a sign of the times – even official hand sanitisers were sold in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year.
As we all emerged from more than two years of a pandemic and social distancing restrictions, the inclusion of the royal hand cleanser was seen as a nod to the ability for people to socialise together again after many months apart.
A Barbie doll, released in honour of the Queen’s 96th birthday also hit the shelves last May – with John Lewis among the retailers to announce that the £95 doll manufactured by Mattel sold out within hours.
Collectors were soon seen to be fighting over the doll, with its grey hair and tiara designed to look exactly like Queen Elizabeth, on various auction sites.
Today, a sealed box containing the limited edition doll is available to buy on eBay for more than £250 plus £15 in recorded postage.
The birth of Prince Archie, 2019
The birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first child sparked a flurry of baby-themed royal memorabilia.
Among them was this royal baby mug by British homewares designer Sophie Allport, which marked the birth of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor on May 6.
The red, white and blue themed fine bone china mug included teddies holding Union Jack and United States of America flags, while the words ‘Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor 6th May 2019’ appeared on the inside rim in Sophie’s distinctive handwriting.
Allport, who had previously released chinaware to mark the arrival of William and Catherine’s children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louie, sold the mug for £14.50.
As a result of the King’s arrival on the throne Archie, and his sister Lilibet, have since been made a Prince and Princess.
Harry and Meghan’s wedding, 2018
Prince Harry’s wedding to American actress Meghan Markle sparked a flurry of new royal souvenirs as designers saw an opportunity to mark the trans-Atlantic union with souvenirs featuring both the Union flag and America’s stars and stripes.
But alongside thousands of unofficial items was an official range of fine English bone china sold by the royal palaces, including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, in the run up to the big day in 2018.
With 22ct gold and platinum detailing. the design had the royal couples’ initials intertwined with a wedding bow, a border of royal coronets and the national emblems of the United Kingdom: the English Rose, the Scottish Thistle, the Irish Shamrock and the Welsh Daffodil.
The collection was available to buy from £25. However today, 22cm plates from the same collection are on sale on auction sites including eBay for bids between £86 and £208.
Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday, 2016
The Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations in June 2016 triggered a number of official releases of royal memorabilia.
Among them was a range of fine china from Royal Worcester.
Mugs from the collection are now up for grabs on auction sites from £12 and above. But not all items in the collection have held their value – with a pre-owned pillbox which initially sold for almost £30 can currently be snapped up for just over a tenner on some reselling sites.
William and Catherine’s wedding, 2011
When the heir to the throne announced his engagement to Kate Middleton the manufacturing of royal souvenirs went into overdrive.
Alongside official releases of fine china, numerous retailers including House of Fraser and M&S sent their own collections to shop shelves as households up and down the country hung out the bunting for the much-longed-for royal wedding.
While today hundreds of items of crockery remain online to buy – one of the most expensive and unusual items royal fans can still purchase if their budget is big enough is an official piece of the happy couple’s wedding cake.
The sweet treat, still in its wrapping and commemorative tin together with its original printed card from the then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall is on sale online for a cool £1,000.
The wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, 1986
Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 – making it the second significant royal wedding of the decade following his brother’s marriage five years previously.
In great royal tradition everything from tea towels to crockery became emblazoned with the couple’s faces ahead of their big day.
While most of the royal crockery and collectables hold little value over and above their original selling prices there are some items from the wedding commanding a higher fee.
A printed order of service from the big day is on sale for £100 while avid coin collectors would need more than £195 to get their hands on two rare silver proof coins released by the Royal Mint to celebrate the occasion featuring the couple’s profile.
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981
From tea towels and plates to commemorative mugs and decorated Union flags – many millions of households across the UK snapped up their own royal memorabilia when the next in line to the throne married in 1981, signalling the most significant royal union since the Queen’s in 1947.
Thousands of items remain in circulation today – both official and unofficial – with coins and jewellery among the items likely to command some of the highest resale prices.
But among the more unique items manufactured in honour of the royal wedding was a special edition purple Austin Metro model toy car made by Corgi.
The miniature vehicle – which paid homage to the Austin Metro Princess Diana drove when she became engaged to Prince Charles – was made out of metal with the couple’s silver initials on the side. Both the doors and hatch back could be opened on the model, which came in its official Corgi commemorative box.
Pristine versions of the diecast model are available to buy today on eBay for between £30 and £60 (before postage) depending on their condition – and that of the box.
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, 1953
The crowning of Queen Elizabeth 70 years ago didn’t prompt quite the flurry of royal souvenirs that we are used to seeing today.
That said, items including bone china beakers, mugs, embroidered handkerchiefs and table cloths are still available to buy on auction sites seven decades later for anyone keen on a slice of coronation history.
Among the uniquely British items up for grabs are a metal 1953 red OXO stock cube tin bearing the words ‘long may she reign’ being sold for £15 and a London Underground tube map created for the day of the coronation available to buy for just £4
While tiny emery needle cleaners made by the Royal School of Needlework in the same fabric used to make the chair’s sat in by members of the royal family during the service and a 1953 Coronation ticket are among the collector’s items in the higher price brackets – available to buy online for £545 and £150 respectively.
Coronation of King George VI, 1937
The coronation of King George and his wife more than 80 years ago meant that royal souvenirs were mostly contained to small numbers of ceramics and china pieces. Mugs, cups and china beakers all still up for grabs today – but there is not a tea towel in sight.
But as with most breakables – origin is key – when it comes to those commanding the more valuable prices.
While both a 1937 Royal Crown Derby coronation mug and a Crown Devon Pottery coronation mug are each available to buy on eBay for upwards of £125, thousands of other drinking vessels released at the time of the event cost nothing more than a few pounds plus postage.
King George V and Queen Mary’s Silver Jubilee, 1935
As with all antiques – or potential antiques – the further back in time you go the more expensive they have the potential to become and items that were made to celebrate King George V’s silver jubilee in 1935 are steadily climbing the price brackets.
Items may also hold some additional significance for fans of the royal family as the couple also became the first British monarchs in May 1935 to celebrate a silver jubilee.
Celebrations that May for the King and wife Queen Mary, took place just a few months before his death on January 20, 1936, which then saw his son Edward VIII become King before he then abdicated less than a year later to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
In terms of collectables, and in a sign of the times, a much smaller collection of mugs bearing the couple’s faces are available online to buy with many priced at around £10. But it is other metal items that have become slightly more valuable than the ceramics with silver jubilee spoons, jubilee medals and commemorative coins also among the souvenirs people can still own today.
But there is still one particular ceramic item that continues to stand out on Ebay at the higher end of the scale and that is a King George V Silver Jubilee large Royal Doulton loving cup. The two-handled shared drinking container, traditionally made for weddings and banquets, is welcoming bids in excess of £230 according to its listing on the auction website.
