Stop!
Before you buy that "Prince George" commemorative mug, ask yourself: "Why?!"
If your reason is to mark the birth of the future monarch with a cheap and cheerful souvenir, don't let me stop you.
If, however, you're under the illusion that you're buying yourself a nice investment for the future, think again.
Mass produced items made specifically to be collected might be fun to take out of the cupboard in 25 or even 50 years' time, but don't expect them to have shot up in value.
The UK's Centre for Retail Research states that royal baby memorabilia sales are going to hit £56m ($84m).
Quite simply, there is too much "stuff" around. The market is saturated. And the collectibles sector is one that works on supply and demand.
Your "Prince of Cambridge" tea tray is probably one of 100,000. And will people be clamouring to get their hands on one in the decades to come? Unlikely.
But there is an area of royal memorabilia collecting that has historically offered strong returns.
 A new face on the balcony is great news for royal memorabilia sales |
These are the rare, or sometimes unique pieces that have a personal link to members of the royal family.
Items like:
· The dress Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985. It auctioned for £240,000 ($362,500) earlier this year.
· A slice of William and Kate's wedding cake, which our sister company PFC Auctions sold for £1,918 ($3,000) in 2012.
· Kate Middleton's see-through university fashion show dress, which made £78,000 ($105,000) in 2011.
· Princess Diana's autograph - up 17.8% per annum since 2000.
· The Queen's silk knickers (left on a plane in Chile), which sold for £11,930 ($17,250) last year.
These pieces are so rare or unique, and have such a strong connection to the lives of the royal family, that there will always be a market for them.
They offer the very real potential of growing in value over the mid to long-term.
We have several such items of royal memorabilia in stock at the moment:
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Items like this heartfelt Princess Diana signed note, which superbly conveys her effervescent personality and strong love for her friends.
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Or this signed photograph of the Queen and Prince Philip with their young family and accompanying corgi. Signed just a year into her reign, it is a superb historical snapshot. It is especially rare as the Queen seldom signs autographs.
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Or perhaps you wish to set your sights a little further back in time? Most Henry VIII signed documents are in museums or in archives, meaning pieces such as this come up for sale very rarely.
You can see all our royal memorabilia for sale here.
Fully authenticated: All our items have been fully checked by our experts and come with a certificate of authenticity, backed by our lifetime moneyback guarantee.
Free postage: Postage is free of charge to anywhere in the world. What's more, we will dispatch your items within 24 hours, ensuring they are at your door in no time.
Risk free: If you change your mind, for whatever reason, just return your items within 30 days for a full refund.
If you see something you want I suggest you buy today - these pieces will not be in our stock for long.
Paul
Paul Fraser
+44 (0)117 933 9500 or info@paulfrasercollectibles.com
