Minecraft is the most popular video game of all time, but it can be surprisingly difficult to find high-quality toys, collectibles, and gifts for the legendary franchise. This is especially true if you're a Minecraft fan as an adult. Recently, though, I got an offer from The Noble Collection, a crafter of premium, officially licensed collectibles for a wide variety of massive franchises and brands. The company was releasing a new Minecraft collection, and it wanted me to check it out.
After spending some time with several products from the Minecraft x The Noble Collection series, I'm really impressed. I was surprised by the quality and features of these collectibles, and I believe they make excellent gifts for Minecraft fans of all ages. If you're looking to finish up your holiday shopping or even just treat yourself, The Noble Collection has multiple options to inject a little bit of Minecraft love into your home.
Disclaimer: This article was made possible by review units provided by The Noble Collection. The company did not see the contents of this article before publishing.
Exploring the entire new series from The Noble Collection
Before I go into what I love (and don't love) about these products from the Minecraft x The Noble Collection series, let me go ahead and get the basic stuff out of the way. Here's what you need to know about each of the six products and where you can buy them if you'd like to skip straight to the good part.
Surprising quality makes these collectibles that'll last
I'll start with what's easily my favorite: the illuminated potion bottle. This one has already found a home on my desk, and I unironically love it. The design is perfectly "Minecraft," and constructed out of obviously high-quality plastic. I adore the fact that The Noble Collection used real cork at the top, too, rather than a plastic bit textured to look like cork. It's a lovely touch that helps seal the attention to detail these collectibles have.
It's not very interesting if it doesn't glow, though, and this potion bottle absolutely does. Once you insert three AAA batteries (not included in the box, unfortunately) and seal up the battery bay, you can make the bottle light up with a simple tap. The lights look great and bright, smoothly diffused through the entire bottle with no splotchiness or obvious gaps. Even more impressive, though, is how you can cycle through five different colors just by repeatedly tapping the bottle. You get blue, red, yellow, green, and purple (in that order), and, of course, the standard "off" state.
For just $39.99 at Amazon, this is my go-to gift recommendation out of this series. The design and build quality are top-notch, and it looks awesome basically anywhere. For me, it's going on my desk, but it can also go on a bookshelf, in a display case, or even on a nightstand or dresser as a lovely Minecraft-themed nightlight.
I know a lot of people will be drawn to the illuminated Minecraft torch, though. It plays second fiddle to the potion bottle for me, but it's still a very cool collectible. It has a flat bottom so it can stand on basically any surface, but half the bottom also folds out so that the torch can be mounted on a wall at an angle, just like torches placed on walls in Minecraft. You'll need to drill a couple of included screws into your wall for mounting, but once on, the torch feels very stable. Before doing that, though, be sure to insert three AAA batteries (again, not included).
Using it is just as easy as the potion bottle, too. Tap anywhere on the torch to toggle the animated flame at the top! Just like the bottle, it's registering vibrations rather than actual touches, but it is sensitive enough that it works consistently and easily. The animated flame looks nice, as you'd hope it would. My only complaint about this collectible is that, at least for me, the bottom flap doesn't perfectly line up with the torch when it's folded out; the flap is a little lopsided, and you can see it if you look for it (this is seriously a minor complaint).
A little less versatile as a decoration but more instantly recognizable than the potion bottle, this torch again is perfect for any Minecraft fan. Set it on a surface, mount it on the wall (as I've done in my office), use it as a nightstand — it's all possible and for just $39.99 at Amazon.
The final product I was sent to test is the themed Minecraft chess set. It's another quality collectible, but it's also a perfectly useable board game. I was immediately surprised by how large the board is (assembled, it almost spanned the entire depth of my desk), and it is impressively themed in Minecraft green, a wooden-mimicking border, and Minecraft logos. It looks quite good, but this is also the only place where I really felt like build quality can noticeably improve. Out of the box, I saw some warping in the board panels, and it was very finicky and annoying to piece everything together the first time. If you plan to use this a lot, I suggest building the board once and then stashing it away.
The board pieces do not share that same flaw. The designs, textures, and build quality of each piece are honestly great, and I love how The Noble Collection has themed the classic chess pieces for this Minecraft set. "White" and "Black" are now "Overworld" and "Monsters," so that each side is wholly unique. White's King is Steve, but Black's King is the Ender Dragon. White's Pawn? Two Chickens standing on top of each other; black's pawn is a Baby Zombie. The Iron Golem versus the Creeper for the rook; the Villager versus the Enderman for the bishop; Alex versus the Wither for the queen — it's honestly awesome, and I'm really pleased with this set.
For $69 at Amazon, you either need to really want this as a collectible (I'd completely understand, just based on the chess pieces) or actually intend to use it as a chess set. For me, it's the latter, and I can forgive the less-than-perfect construction of the chessboard because the complete package looks and feels great. It's a perfectly useable chess set, and the Minecraft theme was all it took to convince my daughter to learn how to play. That's a benefit all by itself.
There's also an illuminated redstone ore, illuminated diamond ore, and a diamond sword replica in the Minecraft x The Noble Collection series, but I sadly wasn't able to check any of that out. As such, I obviously can't speak much on the quality or features of those products, but The Noble Collection has already proven its quality to me with what I have seen, so I'm confident the rest of the series is just as nice.
The ore blocks are the most affordable in the set, making them the easiest and most casual gift here. The lighting isn't as impressive as the potion bottle, and the design isn't as versatile as the torch, but it still works great as a decorative light or nightlight for any Minecraft fan. The diamond sword replica is for the hardcore fan, though; it's quite large and takes up a decent amount of space, but it definitely makes for an excellent conversation piece when it's on display.
You can check above or below for links to these products (and the rest of the series) if you're interested in buying them.
The perfect gift for any Minecraft fan (even you)
Minecraft isn't just for the kids — as the most successful video game of all time (and one of the best games on Xbox, period), it has millions upon millions of fans all over the world, of all ages. The Noble Collection's Minecraft series has the quality that adults expect from a collectible, but there's still a lot for kids here. Lights are fun regardless of how old you are, and the various illuminated products here are definitely nice to look at.
Not every child is ecstatic about playing chess, but those who are will adore the Minecraft set here (honestly, I dig it, too). Wrapping up the series is the pinnacle: the diamond sword replica. I don't even know where I'd put it if The Noble Collection had sent it to me, but I would've done my best to find somewhere. It looks fantastic, but it's definitely not for the casual Minecraft fan.
Whatever you choose, though, these products are genuinely some of the highest-quality collectibles or toys I've ever seen for Minecraft. The Noble Collection has impressed me here, and I firmly believe these are some of the best Minecraft gifts you're going to find this holiday season.
In other Minecraft news, the Xbox Series X|S now supports 4K Minecraft in the latest preview build (also Armadillos are here), the last public Minecraft update made decorative pots actually useful and bats a whole lot cuter, and long-time Mojang Studios head Helen Chiang has moved into an expanded role at Xbox Game Studios. Back to the Minecraft x The Noble Collection series, keep scrolling for all the buying links you need.
Here's where you can buy each of the products in the Minecraft x The Noble Collection series. If you want my #1 recommendation, that definitely goes to the illuminated potion bottle.
- Minecraft x The Noble Collection Illuminated Potion Bottle | $39.99 at Amazon
- Minecraft x The Noble Collection Illuminated Torch | $39.99 at Amazon
- Minecraft x The Noble Collection Chess Set | $69 at Amazon
- Minecraft x The Noble Collection Illuminated Redstone Ore | $29.99 at Amazon
- Minecraft x The Noble Collection Illuminated Diamond Ore | $35 at Amazon
- Minecraft x The Noble Collection Diamond Sword | $69 at Amazon
