Diana’s 90s capsule unearthed – how much are the items worth now?

Princess Diana’s 90s time capsule price could be worth only hundreds of pounds – despite her being the most ‘highly valued’ Royal.

The wooden box buried 30 years ago could be worth ‘substantially more’ than its monetary value – but not as much as you might think, antique specialists have said.

The Princess of Wales buried the container at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and it included a pocket TV,an iconic Kylie Minogue album, and a Royal Mint coin.

Princess Diana sealed the lead-encased box to mark the foundation stone being laid in the hospital’s Variety Building Club.

Angus Ashworth, 41, owner of Ryedale Auctioneers, said that the value of these items could soar due to their connection with the late royal.

He told Metro: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if these items, though not particularly worth anything at face value, because of the Diana connection, could go into the hundreds.

‘You’re buying a piece of history that’s associated with her.’

This sentiment was echoed by Dominic Chorney, 32, coin specialist at Baldwins, who said the’desirable’ items would be more valuable due to their connection with Diana.

Mr Chorney said the capsule contained the 1991 UK Brilliant Uncirculated Annual 7 Coin Set

He said: ‘I imagine items connected with her would be some of the more popular pieces in the world of royal collectables.’

The capsule was meant to be opened centuries from now, but has been opened to allow a children’s cancer centre to be built on the same site.

Mr Chorney valued the coin set between £10 to £20 and said it would have been worth a similar amount in 1991.

Despite their relatively low value, Mr Chorney added that if the coins were sold as part of a collection, they could rise significantly. 

‘Due to the unique nature of the time capsule and its link to one of the most popular historical figures in recent years, I believe the coins and their accompanying items could be worth substantially more if they were ever sold,’ he said.

Minogue’s album, released in November 1990, fetches just £3.91 on eBay today, compared to an estimated £14 in 1991. 

The LCD Casio TV-430 can be bought for about £8.53 today on eBay. A snip of the price where in 1991 it would have cost you £100.

Mr Ashworth said that Diana was ‘probably the most sought after [royal] of them all’, which could boost the capsule’s value.

‘Royal memorabilia is not necessarily that strong, but Diana is probably one of the most desirable connections in the royal family,’ he said. ‘Anything to do with Diana is hugely prized – probably more so than the rest of the royal family.’

Also found in the time capsule was a copy of The Times. Headlines on that day included ‘US rejects Iraqi warplanes plea as rebels close in’, ‘Cooked meats bring out Soviet voters in droves’ and ‘Ashdown ready to do deal in a hung parliament.’

A vintage photograph of Princess Diana in front of Gosh, which she became president of in 1989, laying the time capsule, was also found.

The items have ‘degraded’ and are in ‘very poor condition’, Mr Chorney said.

‘As a rule of thumb, collectors seek items in good condition – the objects in the time capsule are clearly in very poor condition and have degraded over time.’

The coin collector did, however, state that the story behind their discovery could increase their value in the royal collectables world.

‘The provenance and story behind the discovery adds a new layer of collectability, and would surely positively impact their value, were they ever sold,’ Mr Chorney said.

Other items in the collection include a solar-powered calculator, an EU passport, a snowflake hologram, a container with five tree seeds and a sheet of recycled paper.

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