Preston Guild Collectables - 1992
for pictures of 1992 collectables, see the 1992 album
The most recent Preston Guild was held in 1992. Unsurprisingly there are a substantial number of commemorative items to be found. 1992 was the year of a General Election. John Major won against most expectations. It was also the year that Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States of America.
By 1992 the different kinds of commemorative ware manufactured and available for purchase were very varied. As well as the traditional china, pottery and glass objects from previous guilds there were now teddy bears, hankerchiefs, bottles of beer, tins of sweets, lorries and buses. Many of these items are very collectable and still regularly come up for sale.
The plate below has the Preston coat of arms in the centre and is inscribed "To commemorate the Preston Guild Merchant 1992". The design of the plate is based on a mayoral chain. The plate was manufactured by Spode and there is a limited edition of 1,000.
Some of the commemorative china was relatively expensive to buy in comparison to other Guilds and made by well known makers such as Spode, although it is not worth as much as earlier Guilds on the second hand market. It also continued in the trend begun in 1952 of not having the picture of the Mayor on the pieces. None of the commemorative items from 1992 have a likeness of the Mayor, Harold Parker. Even the 1992 medal is the only medal in our collection without the Mayor on one side. One of the Patrons of the 1992 Guild was Neil Kinnock, who had just lost the election he was expected to win, and no doubt gained some comfort from supporting the Guild in a town with a strong Labour tradition.
