Voices in the Coalshed: Coronation Souvenirs

Can you mine for unusual souvenirs?

This week we celebrate the fact that Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952 making this her Platinum jubilee year. Souvenirs were and remain part of the way we commemorate such events.

So how did mining communities celebrate the coronation in 1953?

Coal magazine published photos of souvenirs made and distributed by British firms which could be purchased as coronation souvenirs.

Some of these souvenirs, pointed out by Coal magazine as being keenly interesting to miners and their families, ranged from a bell containing metal from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to beer mugs with Queen Elizabeth’s II insignia! Plus scarves, head squares handkerchiefs, and a coloured plaque of the queen.

© NCB

Coal magazine was published by NCB (National Coal Board) a statutory corporation created to run the newly nationalised UK coal industry. Coal magazine was published between 1947 and 1961. You can access a decade of ‘Coal’ via our website.

Have you an unusual royal souvenir in your family’s possession?

Are you excited to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee? Join us this May Half Term and Bank Holiday Weekend for our Jubilee events. To find out more information about the activities running, visit: https://www.ncm.org.uk/whats-on/jubilee-events-may-half-term/