A delightful, 35 piece puzzle featuring an image of the Berengaria at New York. Produced by the Wilder Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, this is a two-sided puzzle, the verso featuring a Mercator projection of the world map. Though appearing to be paper-on-wood, the 3/16" thick material looks as if it is actually some type of pressed board. There is slight damage to the tabs on two pieces, but this detracts minimally from the images. A great puzzle!

A thrill to discover what we had long suspected! We have seen these two plates separately on a number of occasions, and were delighted to find these two paired as obviously intended. Extremely delicate ribbon plates featuring portraits of the pride of the British Navy and Merchant Marine just before the turn of the 19th Century. Cunard's RMS Campania under full steam at sea, and a battleship flying the R.N. ensign which we believe to be the HMS Renown. (British naval experts might dispute this identification, and we would be happy to hear from you!). The outer lattice of these matching plates is glazed in a very pale yellow. Gold lines have been added, as well as a circle of leaves and flowers just inside the verge. Truly amazing to find these together and intact, as they are quite delicate. No maker is indicated, nor have we seen marks on any of the examples we have previously offered to indicate their origin. Perfect decoration for that late Victorian home!

A truly magnificent pair of Victorian decorative plates, featuring images of Cunard's RMS Campania and a battleship, which we believe is most likely her Royal Navy contemporary, HMS Renown. We were absolutely thrilled to find these, as they are not the more commonly seen ribbon plates, but are beautifully sculpted, almost petal-like, and are airbrushed with iridescent colors. The decal images are further enhanced with the addition of elaborate sea and sky, also airbrushed. To add even more icing to the cake, both have survived over 100 years in pristine condition, with no chips, cracks, or crazing. These display beautifully, either in plate stands, or as wall hangings. We do not expect to find another set in this condition, so don't miss out on this opportunity!

A delightful little heart shaped pin tray from the Cunard Princess. Silver finish with the ship's name and the Cunard lion logo at center. An unusual item.

A nice memento from the inaugural voyage of the Cunard Princess. Dark smoked glass with a gold portrait of the vessel. A few light surface scratches, otherwise very nice condition.

A very nice souvenir plate from the Cunard Princess or Cunard Countess. An attractive portrait of one of the sisters appears at center, with the name of both vessels below. Condition is very good, with no wear to the gold rim decoration. However, the piece does exhibit fine, circular lines of crazing overall. Quite typical of this grade of non-vitrified, souvenir pottery, it detracts minimally.

A wonderful glass slide depicting the entire crew preparing to board the vessel. Each department is listed, along with the number of crew required. Many of you will be familiar with similar illustrations showing either trainloads of coal, or foodstuffs required for the typical voyage. The ship appears at right, her style of ventilators indicate Mauretania, although both ships are listed by name at the bottom.

A magnificent and exceedingly rare piece - a souvenir launching glass from Mauretania. This piece is hand-cut on eggshell thin glass, bearing a simple portrait of the vessel, her name, "Launched at Wallsend" and the date: "Sept 20, 1906". A star and two decorative fern branches have been added. Unbelievable!

We were thrilled to be able to acquire this very unusual souvenir tray from Mauretania. Though one often sees loving cups and bud vases, this small, scallop-edged tray is the first we've come across. The added bonus with this item is the condition. Plated souvenir pieces are notorious for losing their thinly-applied plated from repeated attempts at polishing. That is not the case with this example, as the finish is nearly 100% intact, showing only some extremely tiny specks. In addition, the celluloid portrait shows absolutely no signs of discoloration or fading - her funnels remain a bright red. Stamped only EPNS on the reverse. A rare and beautiful memento.

A gorgeous color image of the QE2 as she originally appeared, photographed by Beken of Cowes. This card was acquired from a postcard dealer, but it seems to have been intended merely as a souvenir card and was never intended for mailing.

This is a beautiful, and certainly early souvenir from the Queen Elizabeth 2. The piece was manufactured by Crown Staffordshire - the same makers of the well-known bon-bon dishes and plates bearing Turner's portraits of the RMS Queen Elizabeth and the RMS Queen Mary. This piece, though smaller, is every bit as fine, with a delicate, sculpted detail, which frames the ship's portrait. The vessel is depicted as she appeared at the time of her entry into service - her funnel is black, and her deluxe suites are clearly absent from her superstructure. Very minor wear to the gilt rim, otherwise fine condition.

This is a great little item which once held a wonderful 12 year old single malt scotch - a specialty available aboard the QE2. Unfortunately this example is empty, otherwise excellent condition!

Turner's famous portrait of the Elizabeth on this ovoid Crown Staffordshire bon-bon dish. It would be quite difficult to classify this example as anything but mint condition. An extremely fine example.

A lovely example of one of a myriad of Crown Staffordshire items to which were applied portraits of RMS Queen Mary or RMS Elizabeth. This example is from the Elizabeth. Her portrait, by Turner, appears on a free-form oval bon-bon dish. Condition is near-mint. This dish is of interest as it is a bit larger than those one usually sees, and the asymmetry is more pronounced. An exceptionally lovely piece!

A souvenir trinket dish, bearing a very nice portrait of the Queen Elizabeth. Royal Falcon Ware, manufactured in England. Condition is very good, showing some wear to the gold rim. The portrait is 100%, and there are no chips or cracks. A nice display item.

Every once in a while, out of the myriad of mementos we come across from the Mary, a piece comes along which is a great surprise and delight - this is such an item! This British souvenir booklet is an amazing bit of ephemera, documenting not only the ship's construction and technological features, but containing a myriad of period advertisements - many from companies who supplied various fixtures, materials, and equipment for the ship. Truly a wealth of information! Did you know that Kunzle Chocolates produced a chocolate Queen Mary? In the box, along with the edible ship, you received a small Queen Mary puzzle! Also of note is a hat maker who produced a beret with an image of the ship embossed in the top - find us one of these! This soft-bound book contains an amazing 60 pages crammed with drawings and photos. Artists' renderings depict the vessel's interiors - another indication that the piece was likely issued during fitting-out. The Mary's rival, Normandie, is mentioned; and the authors, undoubtedly full of jingoistic sentiment, couldn't help but take a few cleverly worded jibes at the ship. At one point they mention that although Normandie's lack of above-deck ventilators helped give the ship a streamlined and uncluttered appearance, this necessitated the inclusion of electric fans to draw air into the ship. (Horrible!) They also opine that ogee prow, overhanging stern, and streamlined superstructure are purely for visual effect, and serve no actual purpose. (Didn't all Cunard's vessels have overhanging cutaway counters prior to that point?). Anyway, the piece is charmingly written, and extraordinarily detailed. Too much to describe in these few lines! A piece we had not seen, and we certainly wish we could turn up a few more copies!

Simple and lovely; this sterling souvenir spoon is fully hallmarked, and bears a miniature, relief portrait of the Mary at sea, framed by a rope ring with her name on a banner below. Quite delicate, and a beautiful item in fine condition.

A nice example of the small, ovoid, souvenir dish by Crown Staffordshire, sold on board the Queen Mary. Bright white bone china, decorated with a lovely decal based on Turner's famous portrait of the majestic Queen at sea. Beautiful!

As it is inevitable that Long Beach souvenirs will creep into the realm of collectibility, we will no longer apologize for listing them! Here we have a large glass vase, (a pair of them, at the time of listing). As these are decorated in gold with the Cunard logo and "R.M.S.", we must assume that these are early souvenir items as we were under the impression that, once stricken from the register, the Royal Mail title and Cunard logo could not be used by the city. We may be mistaken on this point, but it is rare to find Long Beach items so marked. Neat mementos, nonetheless!

The traditional Sagafjord souvenir, continued even after her sale to Cunard from NAL. This pin tray commemorates an Alaskan cruise on board the ship from July 29 through August 9, 1993. Excellent condition.

A beautifully boxed set of six small, cut crystal goblets from Stuart Crystal, with "RMS Saxonia" etched into the base of each. Gold printing on the box states that these were furnished to Cunard by Stoniers, the concern which also furnished the china and glassware for on-board use. Indeed, the wave pattern cut into these goblets is that of the crystal used in First Class. These are magnificent and absolutely perfect. Show us another set!

The last, (or perhaps the first) in a large collection of shipboard photos from the archives of Miss Mary O'Brien, who appears in this snap shot at center. Her traveling companion, Miss Frances Flynn, is ahead of her on the gangplank, and this is the only photo of the pair in which they appear less than elated - perhaps because they are not yet quite on board!

Cube teapots galore! A wonderful photo, snapped by the ship's photographer, of tea time on deck. At far right is Miss Frances Flynn, with Miss Mary O'Brien to her right. The two traveled extensively together, and Miss O'Brien saved a wealth of ephemera.

A meal on board the Elizabeth - grapefruit seems to be the main course, so perhaps it is breakfast. This is another of a wonderful set of photos snapped by the ship's photographer and saved by Miss Mary O'Brien, who appears here seated at far right.

A wonderful veneered table is the centerpiece of this photo, snapped by the ship's photographer in one of the lounges on board. Seated at center is Miss Mary O'Brien, who thoughtfully saved much ephemera from many years of sea voyages, and very carefully labeled each photo in her many scrap books. We would have loved to have had an opportunity to talk with her, as she would have unquestionably had many interesting stories to tell!

Mary and Frannie enjoying a turn on the dance floor in this photo, shot by the shipboard photographer on board the Elizabeth. Miss O'Brien has her back to the camera in this photo, but her traveling companion, Miss Frances Flynn, appears with her ever-present smile, at right.

Passengers in what is likely one of the Cabin Class lounges. Another of a wonderful collection of official shipboard photos saved in a scrap book by Miss Mary O'Brien, who appears here at right center, looking rather startled, while her companion, Miss Frances Flynn, beams effusively! The two recorded many sea voyages together, spanning (from the ephemera we were able to obtain) nearly 20 years.

A wonderful evening aboard the Elizabeth, recorded here by the ship's photographer. Seated at far right is Miss Mary O'Brien, who obviously treasured the mementos from her many sea voyages, and archived a great deal of ephemera.

We were delighted recently to acquire a scrap book full of ephemera saved by Miss Mary O'Brien, chronicling her many ocean voyages with her constant companion, a Miss Frances Flynn. Included were a large number of photos, each meticulously hand labeled as to the subject matter. Here we see the two, (that's Mary on the right) taking tea on the Elizabeth's deck; and wouldn't you love to have the complete Cube service and tray which Frances has on her lap!

A much-loved paper-on-wood puzzle of one of the earliest images of the Queen Mary. This portrait was originally painted by William McDowell. The popular and colorful image would appear later with the ship's name added, however she remains unnamed in this version. This particular example was obviously valued by its owner, who went to great lengths to preserve it. The puzzle itself is quite large, measuring 27½" x 14¾", and the frame was not quite tall enough to accommodate these dimensions, so a portion of the reverse was cut away so the entire puzzle would fit without having to cut it down. Upon close examination we realized that one piece was missing, but after the puzzle had been mounted to a board this had been filled and painted to match the surrounding pieces. We will tell you that we would not consider this a professional repair, but it is certainly indicative of how much the owner valued this piece! There are a some other small spots where slightly damaged pieces have been over-painted, (we have touched up a few of the more obvious areas) but the puzzle looks quite nice overall, and must be examined closely before one notices any defects. Regardless of its faults still a wonderful piece.

Enjoying a beverage in one of the cocktail bars on board the Queen Mary. This is an official souvenir photo, shot by one of the ship's photographers. Seated at center is Miss Mary O'Brien, from who's scrap book we salvaged this, and a large number of other photos and ephemera. A wonderful snap shot of shipboard life!

Another wonderful photo from the archives of Miss Mary O'Brien. We might bemoan the fact that we have only the photo, and not all the Ivory Ware china, silver, and linen visible on the table; but the visual record is indeed delightful! Miss O'Brien is seated at far right, with her companion, Frances Flynn, to her immediate right. Their travels together, many of which were sea voyages, spanned at least 20 years, and Miss O'Brien saved a wealth of photos and ephemera. This photo was among the group of official photos shot by the ship's photographer, and labeled as such in the border.

Shot by the ship's photographer, here we see passengers lining the rails on board the Mary. It is likely sailing day, and the tall, contemplative woman at center is Miss Mary O'Brien, with her traveling companion, Frances Flynn, to her right. Miss O'Brien kept a detailed scrap book of her many sea voyages, and this is but one of a myriad of photos.

A truly incredible piece! This coloring book was produced shortly following W.W.I, and bears amazing images throughout. 14 different pictures, which appear "un-colored" on the right, with a "finished" version on the left facing page. Thankfully, no crayon has been applied to this piece! A marvelous portrait of Aquitania on the front cover, and a beautiful "flags & funnels" image on reverse. A few "dark" images - such as "Rheims Cathedral Under Bombardment", and a world map inviting children to "re-divide" post-war Europe! Produced by Gaines Thurman in New York, and bearing a sticker from the Franklin Spahr Travel Agency on the cover. Truly unique!

Pin dish with route map, Rosenthal again. This cruise 5/12/85 - 5/23/85.

A cruise from Galveston to Los Angeles, through the Panama Canal. An interesting, two-week voyage on board Sagafjord. This Rosenthal pin tray is in good condition, but does show some minor wear to the route map - though all is clearly visible.

An August cruise aboard Vistafjord, departing Hamburg on the seventeenth and circling the Isle of Great Britain. A nice example of this souvenir in mint condition.