Throughout old reliables career you could buy a souvenir of your voyage onboard RMS Olympic. At first the best place to purchase your gift was from one of the ships barbers shops. Here you could select a plethora of goodies emblazoned with the ships image or name. Everything was available from a miniature model of the liner herself, to the more standard fare of enamel spoons, for First Class in gilt silver and enamel, or for the more modest budget silver plate or brass.

We are lucky enough to have a window into the past to see what one of these Aladdin's caves actually looked like via this company issued photo from the late teens of her 2nd Class barbers shop. 

Oh what we wouldn't give to have a rummage through the merchandise, the variety of goods was mind boggling. From Steiff toy stuffed figures that today would be worth hundreds of pounds, to cute pennants with the ships image, and a whole cabinet containing a myriad of silver and silver plate enamel goods.

Today these items rarely surface, we do see the odd enamel ships wheel badge, an enamelled jam or tea spoon etc, but its the more unusual items such as one of this weeks arrivals, a silver plate powder box, with solid silver inlay on real tortoise shell.

Today it would be frowned upon with its use of an exotic and now endangered species, it displays a common place attitude of the Edwardian era, and now acts as a social commentary of past attitudes to the natural world. 

A beautiful and rare quality item as purchased from the ship herself, c-1920's. Coming soon.