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Page 14 The Antique Shoppe April, 2018
ABDICATION COLLECTIBLES

By Amy Gale

Congratulations to Meghan Markle, Huge Trade Loss if the King Abdicates”
the American divorcee Prince Harry will was one newspaper headline in the days
wed this May in St. George’s Chapel at before Edward stepped down.
Windsor Castle. The last time an English There was talk, after the Abdication,
prince wed an American divorcee, things of banning or destroying the things that
didn’t work out so well. It was January had been made for Edward’s coronation
1936, when Edward VIII became king. because the government worried that
He was the first bachelor to succeed to his supporters would undermine the
the throne since George III. But although new king. More practically, a few
unmarried, he was not looking for a wife. manufacturers adapted the coronation
For some years, Wallis Simpson, a twice- wares to memorialize the brief reign.
married American divorcee had been at Paragon Edward VIII Commemorative Loving Cup No doubt, they wanted to minimize their
the center of his life. (Bonham's, Par, June 14, 2007, lot 166, 78 GBP) losses. Such pieces are rare.
Edward wanted to marry his mistress The coronation went ahead, as
and, if possible, make her queen. Stylistically, the commemoratives scheduled, four months later. It was a
“Suitable” is not a word much in use for Edward’s coronation range from the case of same time and place, but different
anymore, but in the 1930s, Mrs. Simpson artisanal to the ostentatious. In the first king. There was not time to develop a new
failed the test. When the king was refused category are Moorcroft wares, like the coronation line, so manufacturers adapted
permission to marry her by the British bucket-form mug in a muted palette of the existing designs. It helped that royal
Cabinet and Dominion governments, he greens, yellows, and blues. commemoratives were a traditional
abdicated less than a year later in favor of At the other end of the design spectrum market with a longstanding reliance on
his brother George VI. is Paragon China, a manufacturer of heraldic motifs.
Most commemoratives from Edward’s middle-market fancy wares. Paragon At auction, commemoratives for the
short reign were made for his coronation, commemoratives are on the showy side. two coronations are often sold together.
Moorcroft
which was to have taken place in May commemorative For Edward’s coronation, they came The gilt-enameled beaker that Minton
1937. His was not the first coronation to mug out with a line of gilded and crisply made to honor Edward VIII was, in turn,
be canceled. (In 1902, his grandfather (Bonham's, transfer-printed ornaments. It was for this made to honor George VI.
Edward VII was forced to postpone his Chester, April 18, occasion that Paragon Another example of
coronation because of illness.) But he was 2007, lot 333) began making its loving the “Abdication swap”
the first English king to walk away from cup with gilt lion-form is the two mugs that are
the job. number made is not the always the same handles. The lion-form based on a design by
It’s supply and demand—not the fact as the edition number. Many were still handle was not new. It Dame Laura Knight,
that the event was canceled—that has in production, when Edward abdicated, had been used on earlier an English painter who
the biggest influence on price. In the abruptly forcing manufacturers to reorient commemoratives, like also tried her hand at
case of Edward VIII commemoratives, their wares to his brother George. those made for Edward ceramic design. With
the collector is in luck. This is a buyer’s VII’s coronation in 1902. their colorful heraldic
market with many nice things at But it emerged as a decoration and lion-
affordable prices. popular motif for the first head handles the mugs
Occasionally, they have a time in 1936. are nearly identical. The
utilitarian value. Some years Unbeknownst to differences are in the
ago, the sale of a toilet-paper the shopkeepers and portraits and inscription.
holder put one provincial factory owners—indeed, When things didn’t
English auction house in the unbeknownst to anyone TP Holder (Dominic Winter, work out with Edward,
news. The metal dispenser outside the king’s inner January 31, 2007, lot 286, 217 GBP) the manufacturer
was decorated with Edward’s circle—Edward was (Wedgwood, possibly)
monogram, and sold with an contemplating giving up carried on production
unopened roll of paper for Mugs for the coronations of Edward VIII and George VI the throne to marry Mrs. Simpson. The with George.
$425. by Dame Laura (Weller's, Chertsey, suppressed scandal became a crisis when Modern royal commemoratives are
Most commemoratives, June 23, 2007, lot 701, 50-80 GBP) she was granted a preliminary decree of a niche better known to collectors of
however, are ornamental. At divorce in October. Nonetheless, there Modern design than to collectors of
the low end of the market are the mass- A case in point is the two-handled was no mention of the king’s liaison in the royal commemoratives. One of the most
produced souvenirs that sell on eBay or stoneware loving cups by Royal Doulton. English press. It was not until December desirable Abdication collectibles is the
pass through salerooms in group lots. There were variant sizes and designs. 3 -a week before Edward signed the coronation mug by Eric Ravilious. An
For the beginner, this is the place to start. The large version (H 10 ¼ in) has painted Instrument of Abdication- that the story up-and-coming printmaker, he had been
Prices are enticingly low. relief decoration of Edward VIII and St. burst upon the public. recruited by Wedgwood in 1935. The
A conspicuous exception is the printed George (the patron saint of England). It The concealment explains how so ground colors are white and blue, and the
tray and jug that belonged to Princess was to have been issued in an edition of many coronation commemoratives came motifs are a stylized black coat of arms
Margaret, who was Edward’s niece. It 2,000, but only 1080 were made. Number to be made. Manufacturers, ignorant of and yellow bursts of fireworks. Mrs.
would be wonderful to know when she one in the curtailed edition sold, in 2003, the closed-door negotiations, were turning Simpson, who was a lady with advanced
acquired these worn and shabby pieces. for $913 in London. It was an exceptional out cups and plates. Once the story broke, taste, was one of the few to buy the mug.
Were they given to her as a child or did price for this model, which is typically retailers became jittery. “Birmingham It was withdrawn in December, only a
she pick them up later in life? The sale knocked-down in the $700 range. Coronation Orders are Being Cancelled— few days after first appearing in the shops.
demonstrates the power of provenance. Because of its rarity, prices run high. It
Dingy royal commemoratives, typically, was paired at auction with the quickie
sell for $10 or $20. The final bid follow-up George VI version. The final
for Princess Margaret’s dingy royal bid ($2,000) is similar to the prices paid
commemoratives: $1,047. for other ceramic pieces by Ravilious.
At the high end of the market are Collectors should beware attempts to
the limited edition keepsakes. These talk up the price of Abdication collectibles.
have retained their value relative to the It was an exceptional episode in British
mass-produced souvenirs. They present royal history. Nonetheless, there is plenty
special challenges, though, because the Wedgwood Jasper Tea Set (Skinner, Bolton, January 25, 2003, lot 55, $353) on the market at a range of prices.