Royal commemorative mugs and beakers - Peter Lockton

Royal commemorative mugs and beakers must be the most popular of all the small antiques and collectables ever to take pride of place in our homes. As long ago as 1660 a mug was made to commemorate the coronation of King Charles II, but it was to be a further century before the next Royal commemoratives were produced to celebrate George II's coronation in 1761. These were individually made, and it was not until Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, following technical advance in the production of creamware and transfer printing, that the markets were flooded with Royal commemoratives. At this time too, town councils, borough corporations and various local authorities commissioned millions, many of which were presented to schoolchildren. A contemporary caption from a 1911 photograph reproduced in the book reads "The beakers made by the same firm [Royal Doulton] for King Edward [VII] at his coronation have already fetched as much as 7s 6d each in the sale room so that juvenile recipients will do well to treasure their presents carefully". A far cry from their value today.