After all the excitement of The Royal Wedding this year, there's much more for followers of The Royal Family to look forward to. 2012 isn't just about London's Olympic Games. We'll also be celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Apart from Queen Victoria, our Queen is Britain's longest serving monarch and there will be plenty to celebrate! Already, we have some stunning pieces to order or reserve from our Royal Diamond Jubilee Commemoratives Collection. Don't forget - you want to be kept abreast with developments, then why not sign up to our Royal Commemorative Newsletter.
We have a fantastic offering from many of the top brands of Royal Commemorative memorabilia. her are just a few -
Lilliput Lane, Caverswall, Royal Worcester, William Edwards, Dartington Crystal, Caithness paperweights, SAC Chess Sets, Royal Crown Derby, Aynsley China.
Royal Jubilee Commemoratives - A History
For centuries, Commemorative memorabilia or souvenirs have been a popular way of celebrating Royal events such as the 2012 Diamond Jubilee. As far as we know, the very first Royal Commemoratives were made at the time of the Restoration, when Charles II became king in 1660. In quick succession followed his Coronation in 1661 and his marriage the year after. These items would have been very rare and expensive, as they were difficult to make. However, in the last two hundered years or so, manufacturing techniques have improved, thus making commemorative memorabilia much more affordable.
China, stamps and coins ahve been among the more popular items which have been used to commemorate Jubilees. Special issue coins were first used to mark a Royal Jubilee with the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. This was the first occasion that are British monarch had survived as long as fifty years on the throne. Most such coins have been issued in crown size (the crown was the equivalent of 25p in contemporary currency). The crown coin was chosen for its size, as it allowed more detail to be shown. Commemorative coins are not intended for general use, but they are theoretically legal tender. Back in 1977, the year of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, a special 25-pence coin was issued. This was designed by Andrew Machin. On one side it shows The Queen on horseback, and on the other, annointing spoon and the coronation ampulla. Over 400,000 of these coins were issued in solid sterling silver with over 35,000,000 being issued in copper-nickel.
The first royal commemorative stamps were launched in 1887, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Jubilee stamps were next issued in 1935 to commemorate George V's Silver Jubilee, Next was Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977, when over two hundred satmps were issued across the UK and the empire and commonwealth countries.
Ceramics have always proved popular for Jubilee commemoratives. You can find significant large numbers of itmes from as far back as the reign of King George III. With new techniques for applying transfers onto cermaic bowls, mugs, plates, tankards and thimbles, these items were able to be manufactured at relatively low cost.
As well as these traditional items, many imaginative Jubilee pieces have been produced over the years. Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, for example, was celebrated with souvenir items including teapots, butter dishes, mirrors, handkerchiefs, woven silk pictures and even wallpaper and pipes. And pictured left, you can see a Moustache Mug produced for the Corontaion of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Diamond Jubilee Memorabilia
Diamond Jubilee Commemoratives
Diamond Jubilee Souvenirs
