Ocean Liners

    

Ocean Liners

Ocean Liners reminds us of a more glamorous era when the only way to travel the world was by ship, usually in some s style. Nostalgia and the chance to own a tiny  slice of liner luxury .



 At the beginning of the 20th century, the giant luxury liners of shipping companies such as Cunard and White Star plied the transatlantic passenger trade. Notable ships included the Olympic, the Britannic, and the Mauretania, but the market for ocean- and cruise-liner collectables  is dominated by the ill-fated Titanic.

The tip of the iceberg

Ocean Liners

Titanic artefacts and memorabilia have increased in price since the 1997 film. Items produced after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 are generally of less value. Top prices of .£3,000-10.000 or more are paid for rare memorabilia owned or used by survivors or rescuers,

such as watches, spoons,

menus, and plates.

Ocean Liners

Ocean Liners Postcards and photographs are more reasonably priced, as so many were made. They can fetch around £50-100 each, often less. Handwritten postcards that mention the Titanic are valuable, depending on the message, date, and sender. Cards sent from the ship when it docked at Cherbourg or Queenstown attract premium prices. A small framed photograph of the liner can fetch around £100-150.

Art Deco opulence

Ocean Liners

In the 1920s and 30s, ships such as the French Normandie, launched in 1932, set new standards of luxury, speed, and safety. 





Her first-class dining room was an extraordinarily lavish An Deco creation of bronze, hammered glass, and Lalique fixtures. She was in New York when World War II broke out in Europe and was commandeered. Unfortunately, an accidental fire caused her to capsize, and she was scrapped in 1942.

Sister ships

Ocean Liners

Memorabilia from the Queen Mary is commonly found, and usually fetches less than £100. Launched in 1934, she is now a tourist attraction in California. Commemorative ceramics, now often sold in the on-board souvenir shop, can cost £50-150, while a souvenir tin can fetch around £50-70.

Did You Know?

Ocean Liners

Memorabilia from passengers who escaped from the 'Titanic are in the top league and have shot up in value.  an original painted cast-iron plaque from one of the lifeboats fetched more than £20,000 at auction, and in 2002 a rare first- class dinner menu dated 10 April 1112 (the day she sailed), made a world record price of £27,000.

Ocean Liners

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth entered passenger service in 1946. Like her sister ship, she had luxurious An Deco-inspired interiors. 

Memorabilia related to her tends to lie less expensive than Queen Mary souvenirs. A menu from her last voyage can cost less than ,t20 and a 1964 course book, enabling passengers to follow her route, can fetch around £30-50.

Ocean Liners

The growth in air travel brought to an end the era of the great liners. The Queen Mary' was withdrawn from service in 1967 and the Queen Elizabeth the following year.

 souvenirs from Ocean Liners

Ocean Liners

In general, collectors focus on the best-known liners and shipping companies - Cunard, the White Star Line, Union Castle, P&O, Canadian Pacific, and Compagnie



Generate Transatlantic. Memorabilia associated with lesser-known foreign lines, and those not operating the transatlantic route, are usually less costly. Objects showing the ship or boldly displaying the company logo are the most prized.

Ocean Liners

Items taken from the liners themselves can fetch high prices, depending on the type of object, with pieces related to first-class travel being the most desirable.

Ocean Liners

 Official souvenirs are popular too, but are often confused with ship stock - the former usually show an image of the ship while the latter have a more discreet logo or wording. Many official souvenirs (as opposed to items that were taken from the ship and kept .

Clone Wars Star Wars

Clone Wars Star Wars

Clone Wars Star Wars

Star Wars is one of the most merchandised

film franchises of all. An immense variety of products can be found with a Star Wars theme - from soaps and lunch boxes to toy figures, vehicles, and spacecraft. Any collector is spoilt for choice.

For collectors of  Clone Wars Star Wars items, there are two names to look for: Kenner in the USA and Palitoy in the UK (both now pan of Hasbro).

Clone Wars Star Wars

Their products are the most popularly collected and include action figures, board games, and puz/hes. Many other foreign companies secured Star Wars licences too, and because of the strict control that the films' creator George Lucas exercises over the rights to his trademarks, quality is high.

The figures add up

Clone Wars Star Wars

There are many tales of mothers disposing of supposedly priceless Star Wars toys. In reality, Kenner/Palitoy's original 1977 line-up of 12 figures are still available for £10-20 each, although the less common characters and variations can raise ±50-200, or more for truly exceptional items, such as a vinyl-caped Jawa or 'Power of the Force' Yak Face.

Clone Wars Star Wars

 As so many were opened up and played with, the highest prices are reserved for figures still sealed in their packaging. Today, these figures can realise from £100 to £800.




 Again, rare variations can be worth more, depending on the figure. Look for packaging that shows the original !12 figumcs <on the back of the pack, as this usually indicates an early example from the first series.


 Han Solo is among the rarest figures from the original line-up and a sealed and unopened example in mint condition can be worth £300-500.

A Star Wars R2D2 figure and C-3P0 action figure, c.1978, largest 9.5cm (3'/*in) high.

Clone Wars Star Wars

£10-15 each Completing the scene

Clone Wars Star Wars

Clone Wars Star Wars figures were complemented by a range of vehicles and play sets based on scenes from the films. Many contained small parts that were easily lost, and so intact surviving examples are valuable. There is even a thriving trade in the accessories, and the tiny guns that came with the figures can now sometimes fetch up to £10-20.previous lines and so are harder to find A collector's coin was included in the packaging and these coins are the most keenly pursued Star Wars secondary collectables.

May the flask be with you

For children in the early 1980s, a Star Wars lunch box was the height of fashion. Today, an Empire Strikes Back vacuum flask and lunch box can sell for £80-120 if in excellent condition. Other household items that bore the Star Wars name include soap, toothbrushes, and bed clothes.

Clone Wars Star Wars

 Items made by better-known companies tend to be more valuable, and perishable items must be unused to retain any value. In general, the price for a Star Wars product that falls outside the more clearly defined categories of toy figures and comic books dependslargely on what a particular enthusiast is willing to pay to own it.So many Star Wars posters were printed, and yet so few saved, that there is always a chance of coming across some­thing new. 

Categories include posters for film releases from various countries, advertising, and commemorative posters produced after each film's release. 

A galaxy of pictures

Clone Wars Star Wars

Values vary widely, depending on age, condition, and, crucially, rarity. The original poster from the US release of Return of the Jedi bore the film title Revenge of the Jedi'. until George Lucas decided that revenge was something a Jedi knight would not seek. Comparatively few survive, so prices are high: around £300-500, depending on condition. A different, more common, US one-sheet poster for the same film can cost up to £100.

Original props from all the films are hard to come by, as their availability and sale is strictly regulated by George Lucas's production company.

Kramer jewellery

Kramer jewellery 

Kramer jewellery 

Louis Kramer created glistening, exuberant designs to suit all pockets. Such was the calibre of his work that he was invited to manufacture costume jewelry for Christian Dior in the early 1950s.

Kramer established his company, Kramer Jewelry Creations, in New York City in 1943, working with his brothers across a huge range of costume jewelry, in every price range. Like his contemporary Albert Weiss, Kramer favored a design style rich in stones. This extravagant look was especially suited to the well-dressed, luxury- loving glamor of the 1950s.

Kramer jewellery 

 Extensive diamante and pave rhinestone work, using the best Swarovski crystals, lent an exquisite sparkle to his beautiful, high-end pieces. Kramer's generous use of paste extended to crystal beads, textured glass, and faux colored pearls, as well as simulated lapis, jade, ruby, and sapphire.



 The "Golden Look' in the 1950s used gold-plate settings for his gorgeous gems, followed by the "Diamond Look" in the 1960s, which used silver plate to achieve an icy effect. Other key designs include rhinestones overlaid with black net.

Kramer jewellery 

Kramer preferred abstract patterns and his geometric designs found favor in the 1950s, but figural pieces are also known.

.

Christian Dior favored movement in his jewelry and may haveinspired Kramer's use of crystal drops attached to jump rings, which catch the light as the wearer moves.

Kramer jewellery 

Astutely, Kramer's products w ere pitched at all price points: the higher-end pieces were marked "Kramer" or "Kramer of New York," while the lower-end items were simply tagged. "Kramer NY" and a pewter-toned metal setting dates a piece to the 1940s and 1950s, considered Kramer's best period. From the late 1950s onward, pieces were marked "Kramer" in an oval or triangular plaque.



 Other marks to look out for include "Amourelle," a line established by former I laskcll designer Frank Hess when he went to work for Kramer in 1963, which is extremely rare; and "Kramer Sterling," which date from World War II, when sterling silver was used because other metals were restricted for war use. The company ceased production in the late 1970s.

Kramer jewellercontemporary Weiss, Kramer is more highly regarded today than it was at the time, and prices arc rising.y 

Kramer jewellery 

Collectors look for wide bracelets with subtle color palettes, large rhinestone bibs, bows, and waterfall necklaces. Full parures, with the company's mark, arc valuable. Along with its 

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

The bright, bold, often extravagant designs of Kenneth Jay Lane embody his love of glamor and the spirit of the 1960s and 1970s.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

 He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1930, and started working in the fashion world in the mid-1950s, first in the art department at Vogue, then designing shoes for Christian Dior and shoes and jewelry for Arnold Scaasi, before establishing his own business in 1963.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Lane's design career blossomed under the patronage of Diana Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar who became editor in chief of Vogue magazine in 1963.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

 His high-impact designs spoke to Vreeland and she featured them in Vogue, where they had similar appeal to the fashionable women of the time. Lane's bold and brilliant work attracted an elite clientele, including Elizabeth Taylor, the Duchess of Windsor, and Jackie Kennedy.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Wealth was not necessarily an issue, however, as Lane's prices have always been accessible to most.

Taking inspiration from the Renaissance and Egypt as well as Roman, Oriental, Asian, and Medieval styles, Lane favored the bright, the bold, and the colorful.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

 His work played on many of the trends of the time, especially the interest in Asian and Oriental mysticism and religion. Preferred figural motifs include gods and goddesses, snakes, dancers, and religious figures such as the Buddhiu.

Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry

Pieces were innovatively designed and well made using good quality materials. Gilt base-metal pieces with intricate ethnic designs were encrusted with faux cabochons emulating semi-precious stones. Maharajah-style earrings, pins, and pendants were huge and pendulous and all his designs spoke of Lane's interest in Asian imagery.






 However, Lane did not draw solely on ethnic sources for his designs: the "Big Cats" pins from the 1960s were inspired by the "Panther" pieces Carder's Jeanne Toussaint had designed for the Duchess of Windsor a decade earlier.