The Rare & Valuable Royal Figurine You'd Be Thrilled To Find At The Thrift Store

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One of the things that makes shopping at a thrift store so exciting is that you never know what kind of treasures you might find. What was just a cheap or inherited trinket for someone could actually be hiding some really astonishing value. And if you're into valuable vintage collectibles, finding a commemorative Queen Elizabeth II figurine by Royal Doulton may just be the rare and royal find you'd be thrilled to come across at a thrift store.

Royal Doulton has been in business since 1815 and attained its "Royal" title in 1901 via an official Royal Warrant from the British crown. One of England's most prestigious ceramic makers, Royal Doulton began its famous HN line of figurines in 1913. In 1973, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her coronation, Royal Doulton produced a coronation figurine of Queen Elizabeth II, who sat on the throne for 70 years from 1952 to 2022, England's longest serving monarch. 

The Queen Elizabeth figurines will vary in price depending on year, condition, and what colors they are. Some particularly valuable and rare figurines are coronation-themed from the 1990s and early 2000s, coming in the royal purple colorway. These are valued anywhere from $500 to $2,000, with some in really excellent condition being priced at $8,000. So, if you stumble across one for a few bucks at a thrift store, you'll know you've landed a real gem.

A Royal Doulton figurine is intended to be a special indoor display item, and is therefore not going to have been treated like other ceramics which may have been turned into adorable planters or used as vintage garden statuary decor by the previous owner. As such, there are certain things you will want to look for when you come across a Royal Doulton Queen Elizabeth II figurine that will tell you if you've found the valuable rare colorway.

Being a part of the HN figurine family, an authentic Royal Doulton Queen Elizabeth will come with an HN number. This number is important as it tells you what time period the figurine was produced in. Since Queen Elizabeth figurines were produced from the 1970s to early 2000s, they will have HN numbers beginning in the HN2000s and ending in the HN4000s. For the rare royal purple coronation figurines in question, you're looking for HN3436 for the taller, standing model, and an HN4476 for the model seated in the coronation chair and holding coronation regalia.

The HN number will be located on the bottom of the piece beside the Royal Doulton label, which is a crown with a lion affixed to the top. Another authenticator will be the "Made in England" wording along the bottom. As with any other kind of pottery, the fewer cracks, dents, or chips the piece has, the more valuable it is going to be.