A fine twin-sized tan lamb's wool first-class blanket from the Queen Mary.  Dating to the 1950's, it is in excellent condition and soft to the touch.  You can easily use these as they are comfortable, light, and warm.  Happily, I have a matched pair, which is quite difficult to find nowadays!  $175 each. 

RESTOCKED!

"A Record in Pictures."  Chockablock full of photos by Stewart Bale, this outstanding photo book is not to be missed.  Many photos of unusual places and items, such as the ovens in the bakery, the the bell at the knightshead with the ship's name, a photo of the uncrown King Edward VII boarding the liner for an inspection at John Brown's, boilers being installed, and much more than I can list.  64 photos and at least one photo per page!  If you like Queen Mary, you need this book!  Very good condition.  $65.

47911      Queen Mary                  Book, My Voyage on the Queen Mary

Ah, the glory that was Queen Mary’s first class.  It can be relived in this fantastic hardbound booklet available to passengers in the on-board gift shop.  Nineteen glossy images, mostly full-color photos.  At the back there is a thoughtful pocket to keep your menus and daily programs in.  Near mint condition with no roughness to the embossed Cunard logo that is often seen.

The much-sought-after and highly desirable "gold foil" brochure for first-class on the Queen Mary.  Since the brochure is dated March 15, 1937,  I have always wondered why Cunard waited a year to put out this stunner for their great new ship.  Perhaps they felt competition from Normandie's foil brochures.  Sporting 28 pages and loads of glorious full-color images. This is the Queen Mary in her prime.  She glows in this brochure.  In excellent condition, especially the expensive embossed gold-foil cover, which sadly, is more often than not, usually in bad condition.  Cunard must have really splashed out to produce this brochure.  The gold on this example only has some slight chipping at the bottom edge and some scuffing.  The only other issue that should be mentioned is that the embossing of the cover makes a ghostlike impression on the title page.  No way around that though due to age.  $395.

As a side note, I constantly strive to bring you rare and interesting items and to deliver impressive-quality ocean-liner items.   I want you to say "wow" when you look through my updates, and I hope this brochure helps that idea along.

RESTOCKED!

One of the best brochures you can get for the Mary.  If you wanted to know anything about the woods used on board, this is the booklet you need. 32 pages with far too many images to list, some in full color.  The author critiques a number of the cabins on board, and one in particular stands out because of his dislike of the wood used.  It would be a lot fun to walk around what is left of the Queen Mary with this book as a guide.  Excellent condition.  Tied with a fancy cord.  $150.

Have you ever noticed that Queen Mary's original cabin numbers are inlaid wood with the numbers in red and green, signifying port and starboard?  They measure 4" x 2" and were removed from the ship before the hotel opened and the cabins renumbered as there is no glue residue.  The new plastic cabin numbers in Long Beach were glued right over many of the original wooden ones.  Mount this next to your own bedroom door and own something that made every single crossing the Mary ever made!  $150.

Two numbers are available.  They are from cabins B-122 and B-180 -- both inside cabins back in second-class territory.  I bought a collection in which I had sold two of these several years ago.  So I am able to  restock them for a short time.  I must say though these moved fast last time so grab them while you can.

A decorator's dream and an opportunity to own and use a part of this great ship.  The high art deco carpets from the Mary are famous and much sought after.  They were produced by Wilton and made of the finest wool so they last for decades and decades.  I use many in my home daily, and they need nothing other than normal care.  This carpet, like many post-war Cunard fittings, was moved from ship to ship.  The previous cabin number has been marked out, and the carpet cut and re-bound by Cunard.  It has been moved around the fleet to Queen Mary.  We are fortunate that Cunard marked everything so well.  Over the years there has been a slight running of the red in this carpet which you can see from the photos.  A useful and handy size the carpet measures 60" x 45" and thus should fit in any home.

A very desirable deck blanket.  This is one of the famous "rugs" that stewards wrapped around you while you were in a deck chair at sea.  They are wool and are so well made that this example was first used on the old Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary and then transferred to the QE2 and used throughout her life as well.  Twice the history for the same price!  The blanket has some small holes in the wool, but these really don't detract.  Two toned, red on one side and navy on the other with "Cunard" embroidered into it.  I have sold several of these over the years, and they always move fast.

47789       Queen Mary                             Deck Plan, Tourist Class (Second)

A tourist-class pre-war plan dated February, 1937, which was revised in August, 1937.  This glossy plan is more like a brochure than a standard deck plan and was used to showcase what John Maxtone-Graham refers to as "Queen Mary’s Normandie-killing secret" -- her amazingly well-done second class!  12 photos and renderings, including one in full color of the exterior.  Color coded as well.  Cunard White Star crows that 80% of the cabins have private toilets and that she has an air-conditioned dining room.  Measures about 32” x 9” when open.  $75.

I also have this plan available in the March, 1938, edition, which was a revision of August, 1937.

36459  Queen Mary                             Deck Plan, Second Class

Super pre-maiden voyage deck plan for tourist class (second class before the war) on the Mary.  Dated January, 1936, this plan folds open to 43" in length.  Great early plan for her.  $45.

29106  Queen Mary                             Deck Plan, Third Class

Pre-maiden voyage plan dated January 6, 1936.  Three photos.  This plan shows the original configuration on B Deck of the third-class public rooms as a single lounge.  Before the maiden voyage, this was changed to two separate rooms as it still is today.  Excellent condition.  $45.

36006  Queen Mary                             Deck Plan, First Class

Dated June, 1956, this plan is by far the best ever done for her.  Cardboard covers with gold leaf and innards printed on glossy paper and chock full of color photos make this deck plan stand out.  Grab it because I only have one, and it will grow wings!  Excellent condition.  $95.

SOLD!

  Queen Mary                             Deck Plan, First Class

Glossy full-color first-class deck plan from the 1960's.  Shows all the changes made to first class in the early 60’s when the Observation Bar and the forward first-class cabins on Main, A, and B decks were given to third class.  The plan is in near-mint condition.  These are quite hard to keep in stock, and I have sold dozens over the years.  Take it with you next time you are on the QM.  It makes a fun way to explore the ship.  Excellent condition.

29045  Queen Mary                             Deck Plan, Cabin Class (Second)

Cabin-class deck plan for the Queen Mary.  Contains numerous interiors and one exterior photo, this plan folds open to 38" x 8½'".  A quantity available.  $25.

Tourist-class plan dating from the 1950's and 1960's.  Well illustrated and folds open to 32" x 8½".  $25.

Dated October, 1937, this deck plan contains seven views showing practically everything third class had to offer on the Queen Mary.  Only the slightest dirt on the covers.  When open, measures about 39” x 9”.  Great condition with some scuffing on the cover.  $45.

47832       Queen Mary                             Deck Plan, Cruise

Want to have the entire passenger section of the ship in a single deck plan?  Look no further than this much-sought-after cruise plan for the Mary.  Measures about 45" x 31".  In good condition with a passenger having noted his cabin number and the cost of the cruise.  $180 each for an outside!  Would you sign up?  I sure would.  There is also a bit of light staining on the aft end of main deck.  $75.

Silver-plated loose-leaf tea spoon.  Use it with your Cunard cube tea pot!  In excellent condition with no damage to the enamel.  $75.

A pair of gold filled and enamel cufflinks from QM's souvenir shop.  Excellent condition.  $65.

Beautiful Staffordshire pin dish with the famous painting by C.E. Turner.  Measuring 6" across, this dish is made of fine bone china and is in near mint condition.  Enhance your collection today with these beautiful display pieces.  $65.

Also available is the smaller oval shaped dish with the same image measuring about 5" across.  $50.

Staffordshire must have really missed the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth when they went out of service.  Large amounts of souvenir items were sold in their gift shops for years.  Think of the loss of income for Staffordshire when the Cunard fleet disappeared!

47803       Queen Mary                         Engineer Magazine

What is rarer than a Shipbuilder for the Queen Mary?  An original copy of the Engineer, that’s what!  Sporting five huge foldout plates and plans and running 78 pages, the magazine contains a ridiculous amount of detail and photos about her construction, engines, and equipment.  Surprisingly, despite the magazine's title, there is quite a bit about her interiors.  For example, did you know that there were some first-class cabins that had double beds?  In excellent condition with only the slightest hint of dirt on the spine and covers.  $325.

The nickname "Ship of Beautiful Woods" is embodied in this fantastic side board from her famous first-class restaurant.  The Mary's amazing veneers were acclaimed as too rich and rare to be used in bulk "after all you spread fine caviar on toast".  Thus thin layers of exquisite wood were used to decorate her bulkheads and furnishings that "would not be duplicated in a century."  This sideboard is veneered in fine dark Peroba -- a wood that a quick internet search confirms, not surprisingly, is quite rare.  It is also one of the most durable woods in the world, coming in 34% harder than oak and thus a perfect choice for a high-use area.  As you can see, it has a fine texture, a faint warm rosy brown hue.  It has, no doubt, grown in character and texture throughout the years.

The former owner was a city employee in Long Beach, and I purchased this from his estate.  Because it went straight from the ship to his home, it is in near mint condition with its original black Formica still shining as I have seen no other from the ship do.  There is no damage to the fine veneers or German silver rails, which would polish beautifully. Highly useful and, needless to say, rare.  A nearly identical sideboard is now in use in the gift shop of the Princess Diana exhibit on board the Queen Mary.  There are some scratches on the legs from shipboard use as well as a some chips out of the feet.  Painting the feet black again would hide much of those chips (this is why the feet of all Cunard furniture was painted black in the first place).  Thus this sideboard needs very little to no work in order to be used in your home and would be a highlight of any Queen Mary collection. Consider displaying your Cunard china on it as it was originally intended.

As a side note:  The world owes a great debt to the collectors who gather and cherish items saved from the ship as they have done a wonderful job keeping the memory of Queen Mary alive.  In many ways we are fortunate Long Beach sold so many of the Queen Mary's fittings off; otherwise, they very likely would be lost or destroyed, considering the "purges" of storage areas of original fittings in the early 1980's.  As it is, much of third class from the ship was simply tossed in the trash in the 1970's.  The Queen Mary was once so classy and elegant; yet today the memory of the Queen in her service life lives on in hundreds of homes around the world.

47009   Queen Mary                            Medallion

The French Line went for commemorative bronze medallions in a big way.  More than five were produced for Normandie alone.  Cunard?  Not so much.  They could not resist doing a medal for the Queen Mary, however.  And what a medal too.  This fine bronze medal was designed by Gilbert Bayes and was made by the Royal Mint in a limited quantity of 3,000.  The obverse is a three-quarter bow view of the Queen Mary, and the reverse is a view of New York City through the old Bargate of Southampton.  Very cleverly done!  The back also incorporates a Cunard lion and a White Star in a fashion I had never seen before.

All this contained in the original leather presentation box that is silk and velvet lined.  According to sources in the UK, Cunard gave many of these medals away in 1936, including a number to key people at John Brown.  When the ship was leaving service in 1967, Cunard found a number of these medals still in storage.  They decided to sell them onboard in that last year of service but at 1936 prices!  The medal measures about 2¾” in diameter, and the box is about 4” square.  In excellent condition.   Very rare in this condition and very choice. 

As a side note, Bayes had other Queen Mary connections as well.  He, along with Alfred Oakley, produced the massive carved gesso panel of Unicorns in Battle in the first-class lounge.  Mr. Bayes also created a bronze statue in the lounge entitled The Sea King's Daughter.

SOLD!

47601    Queen Mary                           Menu Cover, Verandah Grill

Very rare and much sought-after hardback menu cover from Queen Mary’s famous Verandah Grill.  These were not meant to be kept unlike the paper menus down in the dining room.  They were reused by the crew with paper menus changed daily.  Because of this, not many came off the ship, and they are extremely hard to find.  Tied with a silk cord.  Some damage to the spine and bumped corners, but overall in very good condition.  Measures about  11½” x 9”. 

One of the most collectible items ever made for Queen Mary.  A Chad Valley take-to-pieces model.  As you can see from the photos, each deck pivots revealing a detailed color-coded deck plan, handily numbered for use with its corresponding key chart, which is included along with the original box.  The key covers 240 areas on the ship.

The model itself is in excellent condition (one of the best I've seen).  I would say near mint.  Even the box is near mint with hardly any fading or dirt.  It still contains its original paper packing inside the box.  The expense of this type of toy just shows how famous Queen Mary was.  I wish they had done this for other liners!  What child's heart wouldn't pound with excitement at the prospect of playing with this?

The Queen Mary attracts attention today almost as much as she did in her heyday.  (California is my number one state for customers and web traffic here at LLR, and I am sure we can lay this at the feet of our favorite ship.)  Because of this, it should not surprise you that even the telephone company wanted in on the publicity rush the ship generated when she sailed into Long Beach for the first time.  So much so that the General Telephone System and Yellow Pages Directory Company sponsored their own final-voyage passenger list.  It is quite a list with a full route map for her month-long trek and addresses for every passenger on that cruise so long ago.  A list of her officers too.  In excellent condition.  $50.

A tourist-class list for the Queen’s crossing to New York on July 1, 1936.  Also included is the log abstract for this voyage.  They were at sea on Saturday, July 4, which would have been Cunard’s 96th birthday!  I am sure it was celebrated in style on the fantastic new flagship.  $45.

47411       Queen Mary                      Photos, Maiden Voyage

A set of three photos all taken during the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary.  Two snapshots measuring 4½" x 2¾" show her arriving in New York for the first time.  The third view shows the first lifeboat drill ever held on our favorite liner.  This one measures 6½" x 4¾".  Marked on the back in pencil is "Maiden Voyage s/s Queen Mary May 27t, 1936, Southampton to New York via Cherbourg."  The snapshots are in excellent condition, and the boat drill image had been torn and repaired with tape with some dog earring and folding.  $60.

Popular Stratton enamel lapel pin from the post-war period and sold in her on-board gift shop.  Comes still attached to its original backing.  Excellent condition.  $60.

A set of eleven real-photo postwar postcards for the Mary covering first, second, and third class as well as one exterior.  The public rooms are: the cocktail bar on R Deck, a suite bedroom, the entrance hall, the cinema, the writing room, the garden lounge, the Observation Bar, the main lounge,  the second-class dining room, and the third-class lounge on Main Deck.  Unused and in excellent condition.  $95.

An unusual souvenir cigarette box from the Queen Mary’s gift shop.  Dates most likely to the 1960s.  Cedar lined with some slight surface rust.  The only one I have ever seen.  Measures about 7” x 4”.  $75.

45615       Queen Mary                         Souvenir spoon

Double house flag souvenir powdered sugar spoon as sold on board.  Measures about 5".  No damage to the enamel and silver in great shape. $65.

47220       Queen Mary              Souvenir Tea Strainer

Souvenir tea strainer straight from the Queen Mary.  In excellent condition with no damage to the chrome or enamel.  $50.

If you have spent the night on the Queen Mary, I am sure you noticed the empty wooden ring holders built into the cabinetry next to the beds in the cabins on the ship.  See the archival at left for an example.  They were where stewards placed iced water in these glass-lined thermoses each day should you wish to have cold water.  In fact, Cunard, like many lines, was preoccupied with “chilled water” in those pre-air-conditioning days.  The Board of Directors went on and on about providing chilled water in the shipbuilding notes for the Caronia, by way of example.  Here is the very way that water was provided on the Mary.  Made by the Thermos company for Cunard and used on all the ships, including the Queens.  Measures about 9” tall x 6” from handle to spout and is in excellent condition.