A few years ago, I failed to buy a commemorative dish memorialising the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817. I’ve bemoaned my loss of this ever since. I’ve browsed for another on eBay and have almost been tempted to buy again. Some of the Princess Charlotte memorabilia is very pricey, that said it is 200-years-old!
Love it or loathe it, royal memorabilia is big business. The royals themselves got in on the act, according to The Telegraph, in the 1990s, with the Royal Collection Trust producing tasteful souvenirs to sell in the palace shops. Indeed, the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in 2011 garnered an estimated £222 Million with the sale of royal commemorative pieces.
Nevertheless, don’t think buying a piece of royal kitsch will be a big investment. Generally, 20th and 21st century royal memorabilia does not gain in value. The exception to this is if the item is a personal belonging such as clothing or very old (pre-Victorian). From the Victorian age, items were mass produced and they hold limited value apart from its appeal to the purchaser.
I’ve been looking at royal memorabilia, mostly china cups, saucers and mugs, in local antique and junk shops. And the occasional peek on eBay but as yet, I’ve not bought anything.
The mugs above piqued my interest; the one on the left commemorates the coronation of King Edward VII on 26 June 1902. However, the coronation was postponed until the August as the king needed an emergency operation due to an abdominal abscess. As Diana, Princess of Wales’ sister said to her, ‘Your face is on the tea towels’; the date was on the mugs and the King and Queen Alexandra were eventually crowned on 9 August 1902. The mug on the right commemorates a coronation that never happened. King Edward VIII abdicated his throne on 10 December 1936 so that he could marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. His coronation was planned for 12 May 1937, but instead, his brother and his wife, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, were crowned on the same day.
I visited a large antique shop and although I didn’t manage to explore all their stock before the store closed, I managed to snap all their royal memorabilia for my pictorial archive. (Soon to be added to Pinterest.)
STOP PRESS: I bid on eBay for this mug (below) and won! Soon it’ll be winging its way to me, heaven knows what I’ll do with it! It interested me as it bore the incorrect date of the king’s coronation. I paid £4, not much to pay for a whim!
Photos author’s own unless stated
Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140130-collecting-royal-memorabilia
HistorianRuby: An Historian's Miscellany 
Very interesting. How much was the mug commemorating the death of Princess Charlotte if you remember, the one that was almost 200 years old?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was £20, so not bank-busting. I really don’t have the space to start a collection but Charlotte died not too far from where I live and her story has always resonated with me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
4 pounds sounds like a steal, so good for you.
There are so pretty mugs in your picture collection, but the ones with the actual portraits of people creep me out. Why would I want a mug with a mug shot (see what I did there?) of a stranger?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked the Royal Collection mugs, purple and gold, being bone china I’m sure they’d make a nice cup of tea, the other ones definitely not my cup of tea (see what I did there?) 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have given us very interesting information. Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a bargain, how did they get the date wrong!!!! maybe it is worth more if they misprinted it? worth checking out you never know. Lots of lovely mugs out there for the royals
LikeLiked by 2 people
The coronation was postponed with 2 or 3 days notice so not much they could do. I don’t think this affects the price of this mug though. But there was an incorrect print run for a set of George V stamps, wrong colour paper I think and they have increased in value and are collectable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That mug for Andrew and Sarah just looks so 1980s compared to everything else 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does! And I really don’t like the chunky design!
LikeLike
Thanks for your article. Indeed we need space to honour these collectibles. Thats why I don’t collect them for lack of space and it would be injustice if I just bought them and kept them inside their package.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me…I ignore Royal memorabilia but an interesting post…Well done on your acquisition and you are correct collections take up space and need dusting…lol.. and what is the point of keeping them in boxes…Saying that I collect miniature rocking horses but not mass produced ones so I maybe find one to add to my collection not even once a year but love it when I come across one by chance and they have travelled with me around the world 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have you a post about your rocking horses?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, I haven’t it is not something I have thought about 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s a lot of nosy collectors out there! (Including me!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
HaHa..Maybe in the New Year as most have a little story attached to them but I don’t think any would be worth anything much just sentimental value 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll look forward to it 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person