Royal memorabilia - 2014 auction review

Following the excitement of 2013, which saw the birth of Prince George, and the sale of Princess Diana's famous "White House" dress for $362,500, things were comparatively low key in 2014.

Yet those pieces of royal memorabilia that did appear sold well, often beating their estimates by a large margin. These included several Diana-worn dresses and even a Buckingham Palace sentry box. This suggests there is strong demand for rare and unique pieces of important royal memorabilia, and bodes well for 2015.

Next year brings the birth of William and Kate's second child. Expect to see the souvenir sellers go into overdrive again. Just remember that such mass-produced items never hold long-term value. It's unique pieces with a personal connection to the royal family we're after.

Top royal memorabilia sale of 2014

A Caroline Charles-designed dress that Princess Diana wore in 1982 sold for $125,000 at Julien's Auctions in December. In doing so it trumped its $40,000 high estimate by 212.5%. Diana wore the burgundy wool coat dress when she visited the Milan Asian Community Playgroup in Wandsworth, London, and also sported it at Aberdeen Airport while carrying a small Prince William.

Princess Diana dress
Diana in her Caroline Charles dress, which sold for $125,000 in December

The item was one of five Diana-worn dresses that sold at the auction. A Zandra Rhodes-designed evening gown the princess wore to the London Palladium in 1987 made $100,000. A chartreuse silk gown by Catherine Walker, Diana's long-time friend and designer, realised $81,250.

2014's important royal memorabilia sales

A sentry box that stood outside Buckingham Palace until 1992 sold for £15,000 ($24,786) in January - up 114% on Bonhams' estimate. Palace guards sheltering from the rain would have used the box, which following decommissioning was gifted to Sir Blair Stewart Wilson - a former army officer and member of the royal household.

An 1887 "birthday book" used by Queen Victoria, which detailed the birthdays of her closest friends, sold for £3,000 ($4,945) in March.

The last letter Princess Diana wrote sold for £3,000 ($4,650). Diana signed the typed letter on August 11, 1997, just three weeks before her death. Writing to Dilys Cheetham, a humanitarian campaigner, Diana talks of her recent visit to Bosnia where she met landmine victims. "I could not help but be deeply moved by the experience which hardened my resolve to ensure that the world does not forget that those who have been so needlessly maimed by these terrible weapons will need care and support for many years to come," she writes.

A gown worn by a young Queen Elizabeth II sold for £2,000 ($3,391), beating its estimate by 33%. The Queen had given the gown to a telephone operator at Clarence House during the early 1960s.

It was a breakout year for…

William and Kate's wedding cake. A slice of the couple's cake sold for $7,500 in December, far above its estimate of $2,000, and a record for a piece of royal wedding cake. PFC Auctions had previously sold a slice for £1,919 ($2,980) in 2012, indicating that collectors are increasingly warming to the couple. And the news of a second baby on the way can only increase their popularity.

It was a year to forget for…

Queen Victoria's bloomers. While the $10,000 October sale of Queen Vic's knicks is not to be sniffed at, that figure is significantly down on previous sales of the late queen's underwear, including the benchmark £9,375 ($14,550) figure achieved in 2011. The reason? Pairs of Queen Victoria's knickers keep turning up at auction - she gifted them to her entourage. The market is swamped.

One you may have missed…

A bike, including a saddle graced by Pippa Middleton's bottom, sold for £3,010 ($5,063) in an eBay auction in August. Ms Middleton rode the Dassi Aero 6.2 bike 3,000 miles across the US in just six days to raise money for charity.

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