Collecting royal commemoratives is a wonderful hobby for the beginner or the seasoned collector. You can find a Prince Charles and Princess Diana wedding match book for $1.00 or an original oil of Nicholas II for $500,000.00. There is something for everyone.
To study the descendants of Queen Victoria , often referred to as, The Grandmother of Europe is to learn the history of Europe and more. Queen Victoria had nine children who married into the royal families of most of the heads of Europe including Greece, Russia and Denmark.
For information on the Surname name of the royal family & more, please see: The Surname of The Royal Family.
I have received requests pertaining to buying from online auctions. Compare writing style and signatures. Common sense tells you Princess Diana did not sign 10 identical photos with all signatures being in the exact same place on each photo. Do research before buying signed letters, Christmas cards & photographs. Most items offered on the Internet by "so called reputable dealers" and on "auction sites" are described as original signatures when , in fact, they are auto pen. Thousands of cards and letters are sent yearly from Royals. Most signatures are auto pen. The best way to verify is to look with a magnifying glass for bleeding. If you take a ball point or ink pen and write on paper, there is slight bleeding to the edges from the wet ink whereas if you look at print in a book, there is no bleeding. Many people are under the impression a personal greeting assures the signatures are original. Not so. The royal family member is given already preprinted cards to which they add a personal greeting, love always, etc., above their preprinted signatures. If you look closely at a card or letter , you may find the signatures are identical. I'm sure when you sign your name, there is always a slight variation. If signatures are identical on a card or letter and in the exact same location, the signatures are most surly auto pen. Also, take into account, anyone can offer a Certificate of Authenticity. Check the seller or companies credentials.
BE CAREFUL WHEN BUYING OR BIDDING ON AN ITEM FROM A SELLER OUTSIDE OF THE US. "SO-CALLED", SELF-PROCLAIMED REPUTABLE DEALERS ARE SELLING PHOTOCOPIES OF LETTERS PRINTED ON OFFICIAL ROYAL STATIONERY CLAIMING THEY ARE ORIGINALS. IF YOU WIN AN OUT OF US AUCTION, GETTING A REFUND IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. ASK QUESTIONS. IS THIS A PHOTOCOPY OR FORM LETTER PRINTED ON HIS OR HER STATIONERY? LETTERS CAN BE HANDWRITTEN AND PRINTED IN DUPLICATE. KEEP ALL E-MAILS AND CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE SELLER IN CASE OF A DISPUTE.