Unusual 70th Birthday Present Ideas

(AD - Review) This year my Dad has a milestone birthday so I have been looking for a special 70th birthday present for him. We have seen very little of him in the last year and I’m still not allowed to give him a hug so I wanted to find something that he will really love.  

I find it hard buying presents for adults because if they want something in the price range I can afford they usually buy it themselves. The answer is to buy a gift they will find interesting, something special and something they would never think to buy for themselves. The gifts from Historic Newspapers are a perfect fit.


An original copy of The Times newspaper next to a gift box received for a 70th birthday present from Historic Newspapers
An original newspaper with gift box makes an unusual 70th birthday present


Unusual 70th Birthday Gift Ideas from Historic Newspapers

Historic Newspapers have a range of personalised 70th birthday gifts as well as presents perfect for any milestone birthday, anniversary or occasion. They have the UK’s largest newspaper archive and, as the name suggests, the gifts primarily feature newspaper prints. I love two of their products in particular:  


Original Newspapers

The world changed the day my Dad was born. If he wasn’t born I wouldn’t have existed, but what else happened in the world then? I have chosen an original copy of The Times newspaper from the day my Dad was born to give him for his 70th birthday because I think it makes an interesting and unique gift.

On the Historic Newspapers website you can enter the date you are interested in and choose from a range of genuine original newspapers published on that date. Because these are original and not reprints the availability will vary, but they make such a special one off gift. To add to the gift you can leave a personalised message which will be printed on card and included with the newspaper as well as a gift box.

A red classic gift box with "a day to remember and original newspaper" next to an authentic newspaper
The original Newspaper and classic gift box from Historic Newspapers

Unsurprisingly given that the paper is nearly 70 years old the newspaper I received smells a little stale and is fragile, but it is otherwise in good condition. The newspaper came wrapped in tissue paper, with the personalised card and in a classic gift box. When this newspaper was published in 1951, shortly after the end of World War Two, rationing was still in place and paper quality wasn’t great, but then again newspapers have always been printed on thin paper so they usually need a little care.  

I chose The Times which is a broadsheet and unlike today’s tabloids the paper doesn’t have an eye grabbing headline, in fact the style of the paper is very different. It is really interesting to see the whole paper and the fascinating insight into life 70 years ago. I suspect my Dad might enjoy the sports and the politics best, but I loved looking at product adverts and the job vacancies: any "women" interested in the admin assistant post for £465 a year? It’s good to see that some things don’t change though: I still can’t do the crossword.

Unsurprisingly due to the nature of the items you are unable to see what the newspaper looks like before purchase, so I did a quick search to make sure there weren’t any catastrophic events around the day my Dad was born. I don’t think my Dad would have been bothered either way, but some people might be. 

As well as the newspaper you can buy a number of gift sets which include a copy of the original newspaper and a bottle of alcohol (some of which can be personalised) or glasses.

A close up of a job advert for women to apply for an admin assistant post from the Times April 1951
It's fascinating to see how things have changed in 70 years for instance in gender equality and inflation

A close up of The Times crossword from April 1951 and the Certificate of Authenticity from Historic Newspapers
Certificate of Authenticity received with the newspaper to confirm it is an original


Birthday Books

Historic Newspapers also sell newspaper reprints for instance in the Personalised Birthday Newspaper Books. These books include the newspaper front page from the birthday every year since a specified date of birth. The pages are taken from past issues of the Daily Mirror because of it’s early use of photographs, adverts and text on the front page. They have an alternative birthday book using reprints from The Telegraph if preferred. 

The pages of the book are bound together in either a green leatherette cover or luxury black leather which can be embossed in gold with the name of the recipient and their date of birth. These make an unusual gift that will bring back memories. 

I love the idea of giving a little piece of history and I think these make a perfect present.

***Disclosure: This post is in collaboration with Historic Newspapers, but all thoughts are my own***

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