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.

FMI: www.concordecollectables.com