You are probably receiving a lot of emails and seeing many posts and articles right now promising you UNIQUE, MEANINGFUL, and PERSONAL Christmas gifts.
And, perhaps they are.
But how about all of those things.
Plus HISTORIC.
Discovery is magical. Historical artefacts have a magical feeling to them.
Not just historical - meaning old - but historic, as in items of genuine significance that you can own, hold, treasure, show off and pass on.
Yes, it is possible.
Here are just three examples our specialists have picked out for you:
A banner from the Duke of Wellington's funeral
One of the greatest public occasions in British imperial history, this square of silk witnessed it. Click the image for your chance to own this relic.
Unbelievably, you can hang in your own home a flag that was paraded in honour of Britain's greatest military hero through silent London streets in front of 1.5 million people 172 years ago.
The attendance was well over half the contemporary population of London. It was nearly a 10th of the population of England.
Wellington mattered. Queen Victoria was the driving force behind the enormous ceremonials in his honour, calling him "the greatest man this country ever produced".
Ten thousand troops, 20,000 mourners in St Paul's, and most symbolically a 12-tonne funeral carriage made from French guns captured at Waterloo and melted down.
And that's the rub.
The Victorian ruling class had no doubt that the defeat of Napoleon was a great historical inflexion point.
And his defeat was one of the big reasons why Great Britain was now sitting at the heart of a huge, powerful and wealthy empire. It was a victory won by multiple multinational coalitions and perhaps millions of soldiers but two men, Admiral Lord Nelson and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington were the figureheads.
The banner is as striking as you would expect, replete with symbolism with its Maltese Cross, Field Marshall's baton, and Wellington's personal crest on a silk ground.
Military historian? They would have to have this.
Lover of Victoriana? A must have.
London history enthusiast? Thrilled to see it.
British patriot? Nothing would delight them more.
At the birth of the United States of America
It's tiny, but it's probably one of the largest physical remnants of a giant of American history: Founding Father, Revolutionary, Vice President, President, John Adams. Click the image to secure the item.
Next year, 2026, is going to be a big year for collectors of Americana and American historical artefacts.
It is extremely likely that demand will rise and prices will push up and up.
The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by a small, brave band of men who are now revered almost like gods in the nation they founded.
One of them is available to you today.
Yes, a lock of John Adams’ hair could be yours.
Adams was one of 56 men to sign one of history’s most important political papers. Then he was the new nation’s first vice president, then its second president.
He is a world historic figure.
And this lock of his hair may be the largest ever offered for sale, with fantastic provenance linking it to the collection of Elizabeth Adams Quincy via an American military officer.
Any American patriot would treasure this forever.
Perhaps it should be in a museum. And perhaps it will be soon.
For now, it’s available on the open market, but surely not for long with Adams’ name about to be remembered like never before.
Mick Jagger’s hand-written song-writing process
Yes. In your hands. In your home. On your wall. Mick Jagger's handwritten version of a song, almost certainly written in 1965. Click the image to get your hands on Mick's writing.
It doesn’t get much better than this for Rolling Stones fans.
In fact, the vast majority of music fans will simply never have the opportunity to own something like this.
You could be one of them now.
It might not look like much, but this is a fragment of historic importance - an original Jagger song, captured on its way to…
Well, almost certainly the song Sittin’ on a Fence that appeared first on the Stones’ 1967 US-only album Flowers after being released as a top 40 hit by Twice as Much.
If you’ve ever tried to write a song you’ll recognise what’s happening here. Lines and phrases catch the ear and get tried out in various places.
This 1965 ball-point pen document includes the line:
“I said my little girl, you wouldn't understand,
“Some of the sick things a girl does to a man”.
Sittin’ on a Fence says:
“But there is one thing I could never understand,
“Some of the sick things that a girl does to a man”.
It seems likely these lyrics were written somewhere along the way to that song.
So, in some ways this is a wrong turning.
But to a Stones fan it’s a unique moment in the creation of their work.
And it’s from an important time in their careers.
Jagger and Keith Richards picked up the challenge of The Beatles breakthrough to start writing their own songs.
And, to anyone who loves this band - and millions still do - it’s holy writ.
Giving the gift of a powerful feeling
"I own that."
It's quite a thing to know. There's nothing like it.
Imagine you encounter another public memorial of the Napoleonic wars: "I own a banner used to celebrate the man who ended them."
Next year will be full of discussions of 1776, and you can always say: "Come and see a piece of one of the Founding Fathers."
A Stones song comes on? You get the picture.
This is a powerful feeling.
And, it's likely that these pieces will become only more precious and perhaps valuable as time passes.
And, yes, you can loan them to a museum if you like. Many would be happy to show pieces like this.
You get a legacy too.
Our full Christmas guide with many more items like this is here.
They won't stay unsold for long.
