Anyone looking for Royal collectibles as an investment may want to consider items depicting senior Royals rather than Megan Markle. An expert suggests that Megan Markle's jam jar, while initially exciting, may not hold its value in the long run.
The value of Megan Markle's jam may rise as excitement over her new line increases, but it's expected to fall dramatically because the Duchess of Sussex is a long way down the Royal pecking order for collectors, according to an expert. The Duchess launched the first product from her new business venture, a jar of strawberry jam, on Tuesday, April 16th. She sent friends a limited edition jar of the fruit preserve ahead of her brand, American Riviera Orchard, to officially highlight her collection.
The release of the jam has led some to speculate how much the jars might fetch in the future, with people reluctant to spread the sweet stuff on toast in the hope of seeing the value rise as Royal mementos. However, Daniel Wade of Bristol-based PA Fraser Collectibles told express.co.uk that although interest in products from Megan's new line will generate some excitement, their eventual value to collectors will diminish. He said, "I expect to see the value of Megan's limited edition collection rise in the very short term as excitement around her new line reaches its peak. However, in the coming months and years, I expect values to decline significantly. It's because everyone has the same idea: we think we'll keep it in great condition and sell it in 20 years." He added, "So, it wouldn't be particularly rare."
He added that the second reason for the drop in value is that the Duchess of Sussex is a long way down the Royal pecking order in terms of attainment. "Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Princess Kate, and now Charles III are all ahead of her, so collectors will not spend a large amount of money on them. If you're looking for a Royal investment, you might as well choose the late Queen," the expert said.
The expert said Christmas cards dating back to the 1950s, signed by the queen and Prince Philip, doubled in value to £5,000 since their deaths. But he warned, "However, be careful with pieces signed by the queen. It is likely that most autographs after 1959 were created by an autopen, the Queen's favorite invention."
Not many details have been revealed about Megan's new venture, though a trademark application filed in February shows that the company wants to offer downloadable and printable recipe books, tablecloths, textiles, jams, and preserves, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office website.
If their comments are anything to go by, it seemed like Megan's friends were more keen to try her jam rather than save it as collectibles. Fashion designer Tracy Robbins posted two photos of the jam jar the Duchess sent, inside a basket of lemons. The jar was numbered 17 of 50, and Robbins posted a photo of the gift on her Instagram account with the caption, "Breakfast, lunch, and dinner just got a little sweeter." She accompanied another photo with the caption,
