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 a 1937 coronation ER bagel , in very good condition ,and coins as well .I have looked for one and cannot find one like mine ,,,
My grandfather was in the queens guards at the time, have a few photo’s of him and other guardsmen on the day. Shame no memorabilia was saved
I have a choir invitation for the coranation and one for her dad’s funeral George vi
I have a 78 rpm record of the Coronation of the Queen. On one side is the picture of the Royal family on the other is Sir John Gielgud narrating the event. I can’t seem to find any information on this record.Any information would be appreciated. Thanks John
I was given a gold tone coronation bracelet by my grandfather. I think it was from America. It has three penny size gold tone discs with the queen’s head on one side with laurels with ER 1953 on it. The other side has the Queen’s head with crown on it. It also has two oval green discs with the head of Britannia on it. The bracelet is a double link patterned chain. I have never seen another one of these and would like any information on it. Thank you.
I have a green envelope postmarked uckfield, sussex, june 3, 1953 with card commemorating queen Elizabeth. Does this have any value to it?
Because I was born 01/12/52,I was given a coronation gift. A Breakfast Dinner and Tea set. It consisted of 1dinner plate 1Side plate 1breakfast bowl 1desert bowl 1cup and1saucer.It was called the Squirell Nutkin set, after the Cartoon comic strip character Squirrel Nutkin in one of the Daly papers I still have the whole collection.
I have a copy of the New Testament Illustrated, pocket sized…
I have a coronation procession panorama of the pageant which was bought for 2/6d.From Roger.
I have a framed collection of coronation items. It consists of a photo of the queen at her coronation, a coronation programme, a signature of the queen, some stamps and a coronation coin. It was my dad’s, I’m guessing there were a few made but I’d like to sell it. Can anyone tell me about it or how much I should sell it for? Many thanks, Nikki