Concorde Gifts Hit The Market Just In Time For Holidays
With the retirement of the Concorde
in October, more people than ever are clamoring for a piece of
supersonic history.
Concorde Collectables has been selling Concorde memorabilia
online for three years. Says Founder and President Nick Bloomer,
"Interest has skyrocketed, and over 70% of our buyers say they are
buying the items as gifts."
The chance to fly the Concorde may be gone, but it's still
possible to own a piece of its allure. Concorde Collectables offer
a range of items from silver VIP gifts, flight folders and
stationery, to parts of the aircraft itself. All the items at
Concorde Collectables were created for use on the Concorde and as
such have real historical value.
Some of the top sellers on the site include:
Concorde Silver Luggage Tag. One of a series of silver gifts
given by British Airways to frequent Concorde flyers, this tag is
made of hall marked silver and features a raised Concorde logo.
Concorde Flight Folder. These green Concorde-branded stitched
folders were given to passengers on scheduled flights and contain a
signed flight certificate, embossed Concorde writing paper and
envelopes, and Concorde postcards. Owning an original memento of
the aviation legend is within reach of even the most casual
buyer.
Other buyers are interested in practical inflight goods. Want to
stay warm in style? Try a Concorde blanket, designed to keep the
legs of the rich and famous warm at 60,000 feet. Or dine with the
jet set on specially designed Royal Doulton china intended for
inflight meal service.
Concorde Collectables also have a number of actual Concorde
aircraft parts such as cockpit dials, seats and engine components
which they regularly put up for auction on their website.
Interest in Concorde gifts has come from all quarters. Says
Nick, "Our customers defy easy categorization -- from people who
have worked on the design of the aircraft to children doing school
projects, from people who have flown on Concorde to those who wish
they'd been able to. We get serious collectors as well as people
looking for an interesting gift. Over half our customers are women,
and we have buyers from all over the world."
Marketing Director Lisa Perez elaborates. "The Concorde has a
very special attraction for all kinds of people. It's beautiful,
it's exciting. It's a 20th century style icon. And many people feel
sentimental about it. We're all very sorry to see it go."
Concordecollectables.com is run by Inflight World Ltd. The
company started life trading online in aviation service products
and has been selling authentic Concorde and other aircraft
collectables since 2000. The company operates from its own
warehouse near London Heathrow Airport and ships worldwide.
Concorde Collectables sells only authentic items that were
directly associated with the aircraft itself rather than items
simply manufactured as recent souvenirs. Most of the items for sale
were purchased directly from British Airways or British Aerospace
and associated agencies. When these items have gone there will be
no more which makes them unique and rare collectables.
The Concorde Silver Luggage Tag sells for $76, the Concorde
Flight Folder only $33, and Flight certificates alone can be bought
for around $17. A Concorde blanket is about $50, and the Royal
Doulton china starts at $15 per piece.
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