About Us
The Bradford Exchange Promise
Interest-free instalments
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Up to 365-day money-back guarantee
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FREE personalisation on a huge range of gifts and collectables
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None of our exclusive editions are available in high street stores
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Every edition accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity attesting to its genuine collectable status
The Heritage Of The Bradford Exchange
On a cold December morning in 1895, Harald Bing – director of the renowned Danish Bing & Grøndahl porcelain house – ordered his astonished workers to destroy the mould for a small blue-and-white plate produced to commemorate Christmas, so ensuring that the price for the plate would naturally increase should demand exceed supply. The piece, entitled ‘Behind The Frozen Window’, has been revered ever since as the world’s very first limited edition collector plate, and Bing unwittingly coined the popular phrase ‘breaking the mould’.
The world’s first limited edition collector plate
‘Behind The Frozen Window’
Founder of The Bradford Exchange
‘J. Roderick MacArthur (1920 – 1984)’
Despite the concept of the limited edition plate being developed toward the end of the 19th century in Scandinavia and Europe, it took 50 years further for the plate-trading market to evolve. As the popularity of limited edition plate trading increased across the globe, the need for an organised market became apparent. This necessity led to the birth in 1973 of the famed plate exchange facilitator and collectables company, The Bradford Exchange, founded by the entrepreneurial J. Roderick MacArthur.
The Bradford Exchange’s pioneering mission to locate the finest collectable plates from around the world and deliver news of them directly to the homes of collectors proved incredibly successful – so much so that today The Bradford Exchange has developed into an international company to satisfy the intense demand from individual national markets.
Our quest for quality collectables has expanded to include a diverse range of items available through affiliated companies such as The Ashton-Drake Galleries and The Hamilton Collection, collectively named The Bradford Exchange. Setting new standards of excellence across the entire collectables industry, experts from each of these affiliated companies liaise with prestigious manufacturers and internationally acclaimed artists to offer you the finest and most innovative collectables available today, each accompanied by The Bradford Exchange Promise (see below). The Bradford Exchange is dedicated to bringing you collectables inspired by innovation, artistry and design of enduring value…so much so that this has become our motto!
Originally a Mail Order-based organisation, The Bradford Exchange has dramatically increased its accessibility for collectors throughout the nation – for fast, convenient and secure collectable purchase you can now browse our easy-to-use website! The Bradford Exchange is delighted to offer our valued customers a vast array of unique limited-edition collectables and exclusive handcrafted gifts, from fine jewellery exclusives, officially licensed treasures, first-of-a-kind music boxes and Elvis Presley tributes to captivating clocks, beautifully realistic dolls, heartfelt religious editions and festive decorations. A huge range of our exceptional editions are officially licensed by global brands such as Disney, John Wayne, Flying Scotsman, the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines and Elvis Presley™, whilst others feature specially commissioned artwork from world-renowned artists including Thomas Kinkade and Adrian Rigby.
Please remember, the items on offer are mainly limited-edition collectables and once sold out will never be available at issue price again. It is essential that you act swiftly to secure the items of your choice. Whether you are an experienced collector, a newcomer to collecting or just want to find that perfect unique gift, then you need look no further than The Bradford Exchange. Successful collecting has never been so easy!