If you are looking for some inspirational ideas for gifts for history buffs, you’re definitely in the right place! Even though I mostly write about traveling, discovering the world is inseparably connected to getting to know historical facts.
And I know that there are people out there for whom expanding their history knowledge is the most fun of all. So if you would like to purchase a perfect gift for history buff that is your friend or family member, browse the list that I prepared for you.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for Christmas or birthday inspiration. I am sure that among those ideas you will find exceptional and creative gifts for history lovers that will bring a lot of joy and happy moments to you and the endowed person!
First, I will give you some advice about how to choose the right gifts for history buffs, so you will be certain that the present will be a home run. Next, you will find a long list of all the inspirational ideas. In the end, I’m giving you my top picks that maybe will make your decision a bit easier if you would hesitate what to choose.
Click and browse the items that will interest you. To make this list easier to find later, you can pin it to the Pinterest board with one of the images you will find at the end of the post.
So let get into this original list of gifts for history buffs!
Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links. That means that if you click on them or make any purchase via them, I receive a small commission. But don’t worry, this will not cost you anything and in a few cases, you can even receive a special discount! And I will still be able to chase my dreams. So thank you!
How to choose right gifts for history buffs?
Nothing is more disappointing than a misguided present. So first, become sure that you took some steps to better recognize the needs of the person that you would like to endow before purchasing gifts for history nerds.
First of all, try to figure out which historical period is the most favorite one for this person. Are those the ancient empires? The mysterious medieval times? Maybe the French Revolution? Or maybe you have to look for gifts for WW2 lovers? Or maybe the most recent history situations are the most passionate for your history lover? Figuring that out will give you the best hint.
Then, you need to think of what kind of personality that person has. Would he/she like to live through a historical real-life experience? Maybe that person prefers to stay alone with the books? Or maybe, on the other hand, he/she enjoys sharing the passion with others? Here you can find another clue on what kind of presents for history lovers you should focus on.
Last, try to find out what kind of history-related objects the person already has. If the passion of this person is the Civil War, I bet he might already have some books about this subject. Try to get this information, so your gift won’t be doubled on the bookshelf.
Best gifts for history lovers – quick answer
If you’re in a hurry, here you’ve got a shortlist of all the ideas for the best gifts for history buffs. You can simply browse, choose the most interesting things, click and easily purchase to give some joy to the endowed person.
But if you’ve got more time, I invite you to read the rest of this post and analyze each position individually, to make the best decision.
The gift for history buff – inspiring list of ideas
#1 Maps and atlases
Number one on our list of ideas for a gift for history buffs goes to historical maps and atlases. Reading about the intricate geopolitical relations is one thing. But we can imagine the whole situation much better if we can follow the given events on the map as well.
Every true history lover, especially the one that is the most interested in war or anthropology history will for sure appreciate a gift like this.
#2 Historical newspaper reprint
History books are a perfect source of facts and proven information. But what concerns us, humans, the most, are emotions. And those are distributed mostly by media and gossip. Those, in former times, had mainly a form of newspapers.
So if your history buff is especially interested in some kind of historical events that took place in the last dozens of years, a reprint of the newspaper (or even better an original if you’ll be able to find it) with a piece of information about such an exciting event would be a great gift for history buffs!
Moon landing? Normandy landings? A discovery of caves in Lascaux? It would be wonderful to have a newspaper from those times.
Read more: Unique French Gifts From France: 29 Exciting Ideas for Your Friends
#3 Poster
Everyone enjoys exposing his personality and interests. If a person you would like to endow has his own private corner in the house, he or she for sure would like to highlight the devotion to history. And a funny or inspiring poster is a great thing to do it.
An elegant yet straightforward poster will become a nice piece of home decoration and will make your history lover friend proud of his hobby and knowledge.
#4 History facts per each day
The history of the world is so vast that none of us is capable to get to know every little piece of it. Yet, we still can try!
And here the ideas like “History facts per each day” come with help. This little box is full of cards telling a new story each day. You can get to know the interesting facts that you wouldn’t think of in any other circumstances.
That’s like the chocolate calendar but filled with historical curiosities. And giving you pleasure all year round!
#5 History experience
What can be more exciting and engaging for a history lover than taking participation in one of the popular historical events?
All around the world, people are making reconstructions of battles and other important events. And today, when people appreciate live experiences more than anywhen in history, you can enjoy thousands of real-time events in almost every interesting subject.
Want to participate in the Boston Tea Party? No problem! Wanna feel the shivers on your neck while discovering the paths of serial murderers by night? You’re welcome. Maybe you dream of traveling in time and enjoying the romantic evening Paris tour in a good old Citroën? That’s totally doable!
#6 Books
If you don’t want to experiment with new ideas for gifts for history buffs, then a quick answer for you is books which are a perfect present for any intellectualist.
On the Internet, you’ll find tons of titles. But if you want to buy that one book that will really interest the gifted person, you should follow a few steps. First, discover which historical period the person is most interested in. Then, try to figure out what kind of positions already are on his/her bookshelf. Then you’ll know what types of books to look for.
#7 Letters
Next to the books, there is another type of written source of knowledge for every history fan. Especially for those who admire reading biographies and analyzing the silhouettes of famous people who were changing the world.
The old letters give us a magical opportunity to dive into other people’s minds. In handwriting, people tend to reveal their deepest thoughts, joys, hesitations, and opinions. Reading the letters of the people we appreciate, is almost like talking with them. So a collection of letters would be a perfect gift for history buffs.
#8 Boardgame
But what if your history lover is not only a bookworm but also enjoys the social life? Well, board games are very popular last years. So it’s nothing strange that you can find the games inspired by history out there as well.
And a game like this would be a cool gift for a history lover who sometimes likes to put off the history book and spend some fun time with others.
#9 Cufflinks
If you’re looking for history gifts for dad, husband, or boyfriend, a piece of men’s jewelry might be a fantastic idea. Original cufflinks inspired by a favorite part of history will be very warmly welcomed in more formal situations.
Gifts for history nerds don’t have to be books or any other form of knowledge. Everyone loves to demonstrate their interests even in such a subtle form as a small addition to the evening outfit.
#10 Historical clothing
On the subject of outfit, you can go even further. If you and the gifted person are brave and crazy enough. Many people enjoy implementing some part of their favorite historical period fashion in their everyday life.
So maybe old-fashioned woolen waistcoats will become perfect history lover gifts? Or maybe a stylish dress or jacket from former times can become an original element of a modern outfit? Why not play a little bit with fashion and try out some old patterns in our contemporary style?
#11 Magazine subscription
Even in the history field, there is some “news” from time to time. New discoveries, new theories, newly revealed facts. To stay well informed and expand the knowledge (and to shine a bite in the company with new interesting facts), it’s a good idea to purchase a history magazine subscription.
By having a magazine membership, we are always up-to-date with new historical observations. So here you’ve got a new well-proven gift for history buff.
#12 Funny history facts book
Many people consider history as the most boring subject from school. But history absolutely doesn’t have to be that way! History is not only bloody battles, serious kings, and long documents. History is life, and as we all know life sometimes can make jokes.
So if you’re looking for a gift for history buff that has a nice sense of humor and enjoys discovering the craziest facts from the world, you should present him with a book like ![""]("//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=160433696X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=siw-history-buffs-gifts-20&language=en_US")
Just to give you a sneak peek: did you know that there existed a chicken that survived almost two years after having its head cut off? Well, that’s a fact. His name was Mike and yeah! He got pretty famous.
#13 Audiobooks
We’re all pretty busy these times. I’m a book worm myself and I perfectly know how hard it is sometimes to find that precious time to read the awaited book. And I suppose it’s a problem for many history lovers as well.
So I think that making their lives easier with audiobooks is a wonderful gift for history buff. You can either choose to present a single audiobook or decide to purchase a time subscription so the gifted person would have a choice in listening.
#14 Historical documents reprints
It’s really hard to get the original historical documents. Well, it’s probably not that easy to rob the museum’s archive. Yet, we can still enjoy the historical papers in a form of reprints.
And I think that those are perfect gifts for history lovers. Just imagine hanging in a frame the Independence Declaration. Or the Emancipation Proclamation. Or the Marshall Plan.
#15 Ancient or medieval cookbook
I bet that even the biggest history nerd loves to eat good food. And that joy of life might be even bigger if the dish recipe would come from the favorite’s historical period.
Sometimes discovering the simplest aspects of life, such as eating, food habits, and kitchen specialties of ancient times gives us the most fun. So ancient or medieval cookbooks might be awesome gifts for history buffs.
Just imagine eating the same breakfast that Julius Cesar probably was eating, or enjoying the supper with friends in the style of Medieval kings. Or maybe try some delicious desserts that Marie Antoinette would like her people to eat instead of bread? That would be interesting!
#16 Original history artifacts or reproductions
People tend to give a big value to old symbols, objects, and souvenirs. And that’s not surprising. Those things usually carry a nice piece of history and bring memories and stories.
So if you’re looking for original gifts for history buffs, the original artifacts, or even their reproductions, would be a terrific idea. Old crockery will be great for archeologists, metal buttons for lovers of modern military history. And if you’ll browse the Internet long enough, you will even find very realistic reproductions of old weapons as gifts for gun lovers.
#17 Computer game
Many history lovers have various different hobbies. And if one of them is playing video games, then you’ve got a nice recipe to please both natures of the gifted person!
Many video games were inspired by real situations and are settled in historical periods and real places. Games like Battlefield are some of the most popular. But on the market, you’ll find plenty of different types: battle games for people who prefer the first-person game and take participation in a battle. Or strategic games, where a player needs to grow the ancient or medieval town to defend his people from the enemies.
#18 Puzzles
Just imagine. Winter evening, snow outside, hot chocolate, and your beloved history buff jigsawing puzzles. What a wonderful picture, isn’t it? Puzzles are great entertainment and help us give up on any stress that accumulates on our back during the day.
So why not add puzzles to the list of gifts for history buffs? These days, you can find almost any type of puzzle you want. And I am sure that puzzles with historical motives are easy to find too.
#19 Desk figurine
Believe me or not but desk figurines can be great gifts for history buffs. A little bit old-fashioned but they are perfect decorations for the classy office. Plus, the figurine representing a famous person that we admire, will have a very inspirational influence on a person who owns it and looks at it every day.
#20 Mug
Everyone loves funny mugs describing their personalities. And history fans are not an exception to this rule. You can find plenty of mugs with inspirational or just funny quotes and pictures out there. Drinking a morning coffee from a mug remembering about your favorite hobby gives a huge dose of power right at the beginning of the day.
#21 T-shirt
Funny T-shirts are great for any occasion. On the market, you can find many cool clothes with funny quotes, sayings, and pictures. For sure, you will find great ideas for gifts for history buffs out there as well!
#22 Scented candle
And here is another interesting gift for history buff. To be honest, the candle isn’t the first thing that comes to mind in this matter. But on Etsy, you can find even the objects like this. Funny candles that not only reveal a specific aroma but also contain some small historical scenes made out of wax. Those are cool and original Christmas gifts for history lovers.
#23 History trip gift card
If the person you’re looking for a present has a traveler’s soul, then the best gift idea, in this case, could be… a history trip! And don’t worry, you don’t have to decide on the trip’s type now. Get Your Guide, a website offering different short and long travel experiences all around the world offers voucher cards which are a perfect gift for history buffs that will make everyone happy!
A gift card like this can be spent on any type of trip or attraction from the website and is active for… 3 years! So it will be super useful during the next vacation of the gifted person.
#24 Family tree subscription
And here is something that I totally felt into the last weeks. Even though I am not that much crazy about history as my husband, I started to create my own family tree. And in my online research, I reached up to the XVIII century! That was an exciting journey.
I created my family tree on Family Search, yet there are plenty of other websites that give a lot of opportunities to find out something new about your family. One of the most popular is My Heritage which, beyond creating family trees, offers a special DNA test that will give you the information from where in the world your genes come from. Information like this is unique and very intimate so, packages of a DNA test + family tree membership are great gifts for history buffs.
#25 History wall clock
The last position on this list goes to another home decoration. Time goes by every second, so what can be more connected to history than the clock? In various online stores, you will find plenty of designs that each minute will remind the history lover about his passion.
My top picks
I know how hard might be to choose from 25 original ideas. So here, I am showing you my personal choice of the best gifts for history buffs. Why do I think they are the best? Because they’re engaging and quite universal, I think that every history lover will appreciate them.
- For a person who wants to constantly expand the knowledge – a book with funny facts about history – a true history nerd probably knows already all the most important facts about his favorite history period. But getting to know those less important but sometimes much funnier and exciting facts gives a lot of fun.
- For an active person who enjoys original experiences – a history trip gift card – what can be more exciting than visiting a historical site and experience the events that took place there in the past? It could be a real-life battle reconstruction, a tour with a knowledgeable guide, or even a local workshop. It will guarantee unfergetable memories.
- For a social person who likes to share the passion with others – a boardgame – not only many boardgames can be played multiple times and never get boring. They also guarantee a quality time spent together with friends and family and showing them how fun the history can be.
What do you think about this list of ideas for gifts for history lovers? Did you find it useful in looking for a perfect gift? Let me know in the comment!
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Dominika is a founder of Sunday In Wonderland and she recently switched her life to be local independent. She aims to travel the world and admire all of its wonders. She is much focused on sustainable life, self-development and making this world a better place.
