The Most Popular Royal Memorabilia

In 2015 Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-serving British monarch in history. She will be the first royal to reach the Platinum Jubilee landmark – meaning there is much cause for celebration.

The bank holiday weekend will take place between the 2nd and 5th of June and many will be commemorating the occasion with memorabilia and merchandise. The royal merchandise ranges from the good, the bad to the downright ugly. However, outside the naff mugs and fridge magnets found in tourist shops, there’s a wealth of lovely merchandise to mark the occasion. Whether you’re a seasoned collector looking for the perfect future heirloom to auction or if you’re just looking for a new plate to serve your coronation chicken on, there will be something for you.

With this in mind, Oak Tree data experts have taken a deep dive into the most popular royal memorabilia and discovered which pieces will help you to get the most for your money.

The most popular royal memorabilia of all time

The tradition of royal memorabilia can be traced back to 1661 to mark the coronation of King Charles II. In recent years, royal merchandise has been hugely popular amongst the British public, with £169 million having been spent on the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and £134 million spent on merchandise for William and Kate’s wedding.

An incredible £282 million has been spent on Platinum Jubilee merchandise according to the Centre of Retail Research. Their study shows that the public will purchase more than 6 million mugs and 10 million flags.

According to our research, these are the top 3 most popular royal events for memorabilia.

The upcoming Platinum Jubilee (2022) takes first place, followed by Charles and Diana’s wedding (1981) in second, followed by the Silver Jubilee (1977) in third.

Searching for the right piece

Oak Tree search data reveals that the British public’s favourite type of merchandise is the mug. After all, what could be a better way to celebrate a royal occasion than with a cup of tea? Plates take second place, followed by bone china in third. Whilst these are fantastic additions to any collection, beware, their popularity could indicate saturation for serious collectors.

Oak Tree has combed through Google search and trend results to reveal which are the most sought after pieces of royal memorabilia. The results have been tracked over a four year period, spanning from May 2018 to March 2022. The top categories of merchandise are plates, china, mugs, biscuit tins, tea towels and glassware. Oak Tree has compared each royal event within each category of merchandise to understand which are the most popular pieces. This data could help you curate your collection and forecast what pieces from the Platinum Jubilee are the best investment for your money.

This leaderboard suggests that the memorabilia for the platinum jubilee has already been hotly anticipated by many people searching for plates, biscuit tins and tea towels. For those of you looking to strategise your next purchase for resale, perhaps consider a set of Platinum Jubilee glasses which may be considered more desirable in the longterm.

The trend results reveal that people still keep a steady eye on Charles and Diana wedding merchandise. In 1981, 750 million people tuned in to watch the iconic nuptials from all around the world with many purchasing memorabilia to mark the occasion. The late Diana remains one of the most beloved royals today, so it’s no wonder that people are still looking to add pieces from this royal occasion to their personal collections.

Make a royally good investment

If you’re in the memorabilia market with a resale focus, you may find these findings helpful for your next royal purchase.

Oak Tree has searched through a range of resale sites to find the highest value from each category of memorabilia and royal event. The highest value product from each merchandise category has been ranked from highest to lowest to give you an idea of what your Platinum Jubilee pieces could be worth in the future.

Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation was a once in a lifetime event so it’s no surprise that these pieces top the leaderboard with such high resale values. If you’re a more serious collector, you could purchase one of these pieces as a fairly bankable investment as they’ll surely only become more desirable with time.

Biscuit tins are shown here to have the lowest resale value, so go steady with these when selecting your investment pieces. However, don’t let that stop you if you’re in the market for a beautiful biscuit tin for your kitchen countertop.

A collection fit for a queen

For many people, owning royal souvenirs has nothing to do with re-selling or large collections, and everything to do with cherishing memories and marking a special moment in time.

On Facebook, we asked our followers to tell us what royal memorabilia they own and what it means to them.

Paula shared “On the 1st of July 1969 aged just 4, I attended my very first street party for the Investiture of Prince Charles. We were all given a green mug at the end of the party that I still treasure and keep safe as it holds so many happy memories.”

"We were all given a green mug at the end of the party that I still treasure and keep safe as it holds so many happy memories.”

Carol told us “I have a cup commemorating Queen Elizabeth II Coronation...it belonged to my parents, and when they passed away, I inherited it, so it means a lot to me, I keep it in a display cabinet. It’s a beautiful cup.”

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that life is unpredictable and the best investment you can make is in what will bring you joy. If you’re planning to buy royal souvenirs to mark 70 incredible years of service by the Queen, we recommend purchasing an item that will remind you of a joyful occasion and that encapsulates this moment in history for you.

Happy shopping and enjoy the special four day bank holiday, God save the Queen.

Oak Tree products are Hand Made in Great Britain. We are proud to celebrate British industry and craftsmanship.