Within 24 hours of adding it to our stock, a collector approached Paul Fraser Collectibles and bought a Prince William autograph for its £2,500 asking price.
We hadn't even started promoting it yet. But the prompt sale goes to show the continuing popularity of Royal collectibles.
 The £78,000 dress that Kate Middleton |
Had I said to you five years ago that, in 2011, a Royal wedding would happen in London which would generate as much, if not more, excitement than Charles and Diana's 1981 marriage...
Well, your eyebrows might have raised.
After all, in today's era of easy internet fame and our blink-and-you'll-miss it pop culture, surely the Royal family are too old-hat to generate excitement?
Well, that could be further from the truth. One million people flocked into London to see the wedding, while 200 million television viewers tuned in around the world.
Then, just weeks after the wedding, Kate Middleton's dress sold for £78,000 at Kerry Taylor Auctions.
And it wasn't even her wedding dress, but a dress that a friend made for her to wear at the 2002 St Andrews University fashion show at which she wooed Prince William.
In other words, people were captivated by the romance - and, duly, a surge of activity in the collectibles markets followed.
Let's compare the figure to Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's 1981 Royal wedding at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
It was watched by a global television audience of 750 million while 600,000 people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Diana en route to the ceremony.
Fast-forward to 2010, and the black taffeta gown worn by Diana in 1981 for her first public appearance as Prince Charles's fiancé brought £192,000.
Like Kate Middleton's dress, the black taffeta gown was from a key moment in the 'public narrative' of Charles and Diana's Royal romance.
Yet Kate Middleton's dress has already proven itself to be worth $78,000. In 30 years time, the value in collectibles linked to the new generation of British Royals could be sky-high.
For as long as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continue to charm the public, memorabilia associated with their romance will become increasingly treasured - and valued.
- Click here to view our current Royal autographs for sale
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