What to buy grandsons

My father bought our oldest son first edition stamps. He has kept them but when he moved out to the USA they were in his "Give to Oxfam" pile!!!

What about a presentation pack of first edition stamps. I think they put out at least one set a year?? I have a complete set of the millennium stamps that were issued. I've never been a philatelist, nor have I bought any further sets of stamps, but I rather liked the idea of the millennium ones.

Maybe also a copy of a newspaper purchased on their birthday each year.

Usbs may become obsolete & unreadable

Re toys: yes some go for crazy prices BUT others end up worthless. You would have to get lucky or else hedge your bets by collecting a wide variety in order to end up with one of the ££££ ones.

Grannygravy I didn’t know that either! That’s brilliant news.

Watch cufflinks usb with a memory bank of photos

Ooh, GrannyGravy that's interesting! I didn't know that N S & I had done that. Shall buy a new bonds every time I get a spare £25 - much more achievable than finding £100 a time

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201907/medium-879711-d47928aa-0202-44a9-82a4-751522e439b7.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201907/medium-197213-34464e5f-c8fd-4300-9f28-f0c4c5dc799b.jpeg

Further to my post the Aston Martin shown sold for 285 euros ....and the vintage Barbie (wait for it...) over ?6000

I believe if anybody’s granny had bought a Dinky toy plus box every year or a Barbie doll for the last 18 years and kept them in mint condition they could be worth thousands now!
Quite an investment!

However if it is sellable/investment gold jewellery, its just as useful to a non jewellery wearer as a jewellery wearer (male or female)

How old are these twins? It sounds. from the OP that they have some way to go until they are 18. I have teenage GSs. I was going to send some cash to the one who will be 14 next week, but his dad says he can't be trusted with it - not sure what he's been up to! So I am going to send money to DS to buy something for him that he really wants. As he is going to be in France on his birthday, I might add a few euros as spending money.
Last year, I sent him and his brother (almost 12) lockable cash boxes - combination locks as they would be sure to lose keys.
All the teenage GC , boys and girls, love toiletries!

For my DS and DGS I'm planning to get a box together with various items in it of what will be historical interest. For example, I've got all the menus from my parents' world cruise on the QE2, a few tickets from concerts of well-known bands, a millennium poster, a Concord keyring.... stuff that they might find amusing one day but that will be otherwise impossible come by. Just a bit of fun really. But for a serious present I agree - premium bonds.

Be careful though that your choice in jewellery may not be to the taste of your granddaughter

Especially if she is getting jewellery just because she is a girl and not becauae she has a particular interest in it!

Im female. If someone gives me jewellery I think "wow! They either really dont know me or they put zero efford into getting something personal to me"

A coin collection was the last thing I would have wanted to move with me ever 6 months as a flat sharing 18yr old!

Gold/silver coins that I could have convertef into savings/a deposit/a car etc would have been good though.

You could save £2 and 50p coins with different reverse design; there's several produced for each year. Be careful though that your choice in jewellery may not be to the taste of your granddaughter when she is an adult so coins may be best for both.

Also at 18 I flat shared which meant moving around a lot. No storage space for anything other than clothes and pot & pans. Not an age for "collectables" IMO

I wouldnt want jewellery or trinkets.

Gold/silver coins
Sellable gold jewellery
A savings account etc

oldmom she does give them presents if I ve read it correctly she just wants a little addition as a keepsake to put away each year and give them when they are 18
Trouble is by the time they re 18 most boys don’t have a ‘ah how sweet’ bone in their body and probably won’t look twice at 18 toy cars or a girl at 18 teddy bears (how do you give them without them playing with them sue ) I ve seen those Harrods bears they are pretty big to have 18 of them when you’re getting ready to leave home But I guess you know your grand kids and I m sure they will love them

Why not just get the poor kids real presents?

My son is 6. He remembers every gift his Granny has ever given him, and is deeply grateful for them all. He thinks it's wonderful that someone other than Mom and Dad loves him enough to never forget his birthday.

Each to his own, but to give a young child something that looks like a toy but isn't to be played with is just cruel.

Give something good quality and long-lasting. Wooden toys, good quality books. My son's wooden train set from his Granny with still be there when I have grandchildren.

When they turn 18, then give them something THEY want. Something that's meaningful or valuable to them.

Premium Bonds I'd say. They're safe and you can add to them. Less fuss and worry too.

Special edition coins? Nice coloured 50p’s - I got mine the Peter rabbit and the Paddington. Older ones as they grow.

We buy our grandson a scale model car for each birthday to be kept, not played with so by the time he’s 18 he’ll have a whole collection.
Our granddaughter gets a Harrods Bear again not to be played with.
We felt that if we just bought them toys they get thrown away, broken etc. and nothing to show for 18 birthdays.

I m presuming you mean a small keepsake for each year Why not a pound coin with that years date on for each year or if you don’t think that’s enough go up in coins with the years date on, 2 for second birthday, three for third so on Triuble is by the time they are 18 they won’t be interested in a little keepsake
Premium bonds in small amounts are fairly useless my mum bought me some as a child but they never did anything at all
I started doing this as babies but when I got to 7 grandkids I just couldn’t think of things to put in so they didn’t ever get their envelopes of ‘things’ I don’t regret not completing, as a variety have reached 18 and wouldn’t be a bit interested in these ‘heirlooms’

My parents paid into what they called the 'music fund' every year for the children. This helped to pay for little extras in their life, like piano lessons. Now in their 30s, both really love their music and play several instruments. A superb investment that pays dividends, as, now in their 90s, my parents love listening to their grandchildren play. And they are passing this on to their children now .... the gift that keeps on giving.

Maw I got rid of my premium bonds a few years ago as I had 30k and then fewer but NO wins for a year or two! Yes there are scams with cryptocurrency but also with other forms of investment. An ISA you can keep putting money into is safe.

I think you mean actual things...
I don't know your budget or the size of your box - but here's a few ideas:

Silver cufflinks - something they'll appreciate as they are older. Both my adult boys like these.

A netsuke - depending on the young man. One of mine would definitely like these, the other, maybe only in passing.

A not-too-big print by someone amusing (maybe a cartoonist or an artist such as Glen Baxter). If too expensive, Baxter postcard in a plain dark frame.

A pair of whiskey glasses maybe? My 2 clubbed together and bought some fairly expensive Scandinavian ones for a friend's 18th.