Surge in online sales of royal memorabilia as manufacturers phase out Queen items
Buyers and sellers have wasted little time after the death of the Queen in cashing in on sales of royal memorabilia.
Over the weekend, there has been a rush from people around the world to buy souvenirs – from mugs to dolls, newspapers, coins, jewellery, and even teabags – as manufacturers phase out items with the Queen’s likeness to make room for ones of her son King Charles III.
On classifieds site Gumtree, a London-based seller is cashing in on the moment by listing his collection of commemorative Queen Elizabeth coins for £70,000. On the same site, you can buy a Queen Elizabeth barbie doll for £3,000, and a stool, which the seller claims was used at her 1953 coronation, for £650.
Meanwhile on eBay, a copy of London’s Evening Standard newspaper from Friday, the day after the news of her death was announced, is listed with a “buy it now” price of £999.99. A copy of the Telegraph from the same day is currently bidding at £250. And a copy of Friday’s Guardian will set you back just £99.
A 1953 coronation mug, which was given as a gift to British schoolchildren at the time, can be bought for between £5 and £10, or an unopened jar of “Ma’amite” is available for £15.
In Canada, meanwhile, one seller has listed, with a starting bid of C$110 (£66), their scrap book of newspaper cuttings from the 1951 royal tour of the country. And in Cape Town, South Africa, an artist is selling his floral tribute to the Queen for £2,750.
The Royal Mint experienced extremely high volume of traffic to their website in the 24 hours following the Queen’s death as visitors sought to buy the last coins – and some new commemorative offerings – featuring the Queen’s image. One Twitter user posted a screenshot showing 6,390 people ahead of him in the
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