Coronation memorabilia is the wide range of objects made to mark the crowning of a monarch, including mugs, beakers, plates, teapots, glassware, medals, tins, textiles, prints, programmes and souvenir booklets. Such items were produced in vast numbers for public sale and for distribution to schoolchildren and local communities, and they form a substantial part of the field of royal commemoratives.
Early coronation pieces for George III and George IV are scarce, but souvenirs became widely available for Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838 and multiplied with every reign that followed. Edward VII's coronation is notable because it was postponed in 1902 owing to the King's illness, so some pieces bear the original date. The abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 left manufacturers with stock made for a coronation that never took place, and these wares are popular with collectors. Factories such as Doulton, Wedgwood, Aynsley and Paragon produced quality pieces, while Staffordshire potteries supplied cheaper wares. Value depends on rarity, the maker, design quality and condition, with crisp transfer prints and undamaged gilding preferred. Limited editions and pieces with a documented local or civic origin are particularly appealing.
