Pictured is a portrait of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in a display case alongside other royal family memorabilia in Windsor on September 15, 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via GettyImages)
The UK has always attracted collectors from around the world who have a particular interest in royalty. But this week London’s variety shops are packed with tourists keen to return home a souvenir of Queen Elizabeth II.
The reports of the news agencies tell how those responsible in the companies proceeded put pressure on their suppliers to keep the cases in stock with mass-produced items such as flags, fridge magnets, mugs and t-shirts featuring the Queen’s face and the years 1952-2022 to commemorate 70 years of her reign.
The responsiveness of the souvenir industry is so fast that the monarch died on Thursday September 8th and on Saturday they had the items to commemorate the end of an entire era. Objects with the image of the new King Charles III
An important detail is that this unofficial articles have become more expensive. Ballpoint pens adorned with a gold-colored imperial crown are selling for £7.99 ($9.17) and flags with Elizabeth II’s smiling face are selling for £9 ($10.30), according to EFE news agency .
temporary suspension
But the official items will take a while to arrive. The Royal Collection Trust has suspended the sale of royal memorabilia to authorized sellers to respect the 10-day official mourning. It is not known how much the company, which manages official residences, art collections and souvenirs, will collect in view of such an important historical event as the death of Elizabeth II. But according to its 2019/2020 annual report, before the pandemic, The royal collection brought in £19,983,646 million (approx. 22,922,640) in the sale of gift items.
A souvenir shop manager is in front of the Buckingham Palace The souvenirs, which allude to the Queen’s life and death, will garner even more interest than the strong demand for gifts that the platinum jubilee is sparking to celebrate her seven decades on the throne, told Bloomberg.
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Kensington Palace’s online shop will remain in place active with the anniversary collection. It offers keyrings, books, fans, brooches, costumes, necklaces, teapots, china, amulets, rings, earrings at prices ranging from 50 cents for a fridge magnet to £3,500 for the limited edition hand-carved white wooden horse.hand.
Unofficial stores have everything at all prices. On Amazon there are coins, dolls with the face of the queen, old stamps, posters, mugs. The most expensive piece is a Canadian coin Silver with the Queen’s face on one side and a bear on the other from 1953 for ca $7,100.
Among the lists of Best Seller on Amazon in the US is the book “The Palace Papers: In the House of Windsor: The Truth and the Confusion”, by author Tina Brown, published April 2022.
The value of real collectibles
Some collectors who have spent years collecting Queen Elizabeth II memorabilia are considering whether it is time to sell them to get some cash for their investment.
Casi Prischl, a representative of Australia’s Theodore Bruce Auctions, said in a radio interview that not all of the monarch’s collectibles increased in value after her death.
Prishcl explained that Some very rare items like limited edition scarves made for the anniversaries will fetch significant value.
But all objects with motifs of the royal family Mass products are bought as a hobby, but not as a real investment because they are of no interest to collectors.
Rarity is the main characteristic of a collector’s item, although there are some purchases that only satisfy the desire to be part of a historical moment.
“After Kate and William’s wedding, a slice of the wedding cake went up for sale online and sold for $3,000,” Prishcl said.
The same happened with a slice of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding cake, which sold for just over $2,000.
However, experts say that another important aspect of appreciating a collectible is its age and value In order for it to be of any real value, it must be more than a century old.
In the case of Queen Elizabeth II, the most memorable moment of her reign was her coronation in 1952, so anyone who owns a rare object from this historic event needs to age it another 30 years to really be worth a fortune.
Sources: Amazon, Historic Royal Palaces, Perth Now, The Guardian
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