Do you own a piece of 1953 Coronation memorabilia?
Well if you do if might feature on ‘A Celebration of Coronation Commemoratives,’ a new set of stamp sheetlets issued today to mark this year’s 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.
From china plates to postcards, biscuit tins to badges, ‘A Celebration of Coronation
Commemoratives’ is a stunning new tribute inspired by the work of Robert Opie
From Victoria to Elizabeth II
This definitive royal collection features 5 of history’s most recent monarchs – up to our present Queen and as far back as her great great grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Spanning 175 years of royal memorabilia from Victoria’s Coronation in 1838 to Elizabeth II’s 60th anniversary in 2013, the new collection of commemorative stamp sheetlets take their inspiration from consumer historian and royal devotee, Robert Opie who has spent a lifetime creating scrapbooks from royal memorabilia:
“The historic occasion of a royal coronation, of course, attracts a deluge of souvenirs, from the traditional ceramic mug to a set of commemorative stamps. Instinctively, we all want to keep a souvenir of such an event – a decorated tin, a jigsaw puzzle or just a royal picture postcard.”
A link to the past
But these sheetlets aren’t just colourful montages of Coronation keepsakes – they chart other royal celebrations such as births, weddings and jubilees. More than that, they provide a fascinating insight into what life was like in the past.
Queen Victoria whose incredible record of 63 years on the throne resulted in a vast amount of memorabilia from gin flasks and songs sheets to the more traditional china mugs and plates. Collectively, they paint of picture of Industrial Britain at the height of the Empire.
The new sheetlets feature Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II, the only two monarchs ever to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee
A boom industry
For the Coronations of Edward VII in 1902 and George V in 1911, royal souvenirs had become big business. An abundance of items like chocolate, biscuit, tea and tobacco tins were widely available as were postcards.
1937 saw the crowning of George VI and a wider range of branded souvenirs such as Cusson’s talcum powder, Cadbury’s and Fry’s. As you might expect, his older brother doesn’t feature as he abdicated before he was crowned (unfortunately, souvenirs for Edward’s coronation had already been produced by the time he made his shock announcement).
The ultimate tribute
A ‘Celebration of Coronation Commemoratives’ is issued by seven British overseas territories – Bermuda, Tristan da Cunha, Isle of Man, Cook Islands, St Helena and Bahamas – with each country issuing 1 Souvenir Sheet and 5 Commemorative Sheetlets. The first sets are released today to coincide with the anniversary of the Queen’s accession in 1952, the others follow later in the month.
I have an emery needle cleaner made from the red satin of the chairs embroidered at the royal school of needlework and used by T.R.H. the duke of edinburgh, the duke of gloucester, and the duke of kent at the coronation of H.M. queen Elizabeth II june 2nd, 1953. Does anyone have any idea of worth or rareability
I have a 1953 Coronation scrapbook which I made myself from cutouts, mainly from the newspapers, mostly black and white photos but some coloured. It also contains photos of the Queen and Prince Phillip before and after their marriage plus the births of their children. Where would I sell this please, and for auction or not? Thank you.
Hi Stella
I’m afraid that is out of our area of expertise. I would suggest taking it to a reputable local antiques dealer who would be able to give you a better idea 🙂
Hope that helps!
I have an occasional table oone of 26 in a series of 100 to commerate the Coranation of Queen Elizabeth dated 1953 made by Charles De______ (Can not read last name.
hi. we have a rare green coronation 1953 necktie…….sally Leavesley
Hi everyone, sounds like you’ve got some great coronation commemorative pieces in your collections! I wish I knew more about these individual pieces you’re describing but alas I mainly know about stamps and coins. Nevertheless, I hope some other people that visit the blog may be able to answer your questions, all comments are appreciated! Thanks, Robin, The Westminster Collection.
I have a small dish with these words in the dish “To Remind You of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It is signed by someone but I can’t read the name due to the penmanship.
At the bottom on the right hand side “The Coburg Court Hotel” and under that London W2.
I would love to know more about this little dish that I found at the bottom of a box at an Auction.
The fact that there was no chips or nics in the dish shocked me considering how it was found.
I forgot to mention, It has the date of 1953 in the left hand corner.
Hi I have tiny photo album with queen and her husband photos(I think). The album is in metal case, may be gold not sure. The size of the album is approx 3cm x 3cm. This item was made for 1953 coronation. Does it worth any money? If you have any information, please let me know. Thanks
I have coronation coach and horses in box size 18 inches
I have a circular jigsaw puzzle from the 1953 coronation series by waddingtons is it worth anything? I also have 2 from the silver jubilee x
Hi Mica, sounds like a good collection! However we only sell the stamps – if you wanted to have your other commemorative pieces valued you’d have to visit a local antiques dealer or expert. Thanks, Robin.
ok thank you x
I have a Royal Winton teacup and saucer and also a matching side dish. “Queen Elizabeth II,
Crowned June 2, 1953 is written on the dish.
I have a teacup, saucer and 4″ side dish by Royal Winton. It has a insignia of Queen Elizabeth
Crowned June 2, 1953 on the cup and dish. Is here any value?
Hi Bette, unfortunately this falls outside our areas of expertise – however I would recommend going to a local reputable antiques expert for an opinion. Nice items to have in the collection however! Thanks, Robin.