Valueless Tat, or Priceless Ephemera?
Since around 2002 I've been collecting the many pieces of Caronia associated ephemera which has culminated in my building and illustrating this Timeline. Many thousands of items later, with something like 30 foolscap boxfiles filled, there are just two items that stand out unexpectedly.
The first of these was a laundry receipt kept by Mr. Bigelow on an Autumn Caribbean Cruise in 1958. When Caronia meal menu cards have an asking price today of the cost of a good book, or even a good meal for just a single copy, is it rude to rhetorically wonder what so much rarer and personalised pieces are worth?
Laundry Receipt
Seen left is the laundry receipt issued to Mr. George Bigelow, in Stateroom M20. From the date we'll
assume that his suit was cleaned and pressed ready for the Farewell Dinner and Ball.
At the time of it appearing in his folder, the only thought that crossed my mind was: What a bit of luck as it probably wasn't meant to be kept as a keepsake. Was it? Perhaps more to the point, just how many Cunard laundry receipts from that era still exist today, which might make this unique?
A Morning Drive Anyone?
Just recently, a second notable piece popped up within items collected by former Lady Assistant Purser
Patricia Sparks. Among her small haul of items
is a Thos. Cook Tour Ticket dated 16 March 1956 for…
“Excursion E-10: A Morning Drive by Automobile in Singapore”.
The ticket also authorises a luncheon and “afternoon use of the car.” As ever with the Caronia, there's no half-measures!
I can only assume that she must have been indisposed from taking this tour, for at some point in the day the driver would need to collect the ticket for him to be able to claim his dues. Whatever the circumstances, this ticket is another clear rarity.
Unlike the fairly regular and expensive meal menu cards that crop up for sale, note that I'm not drawn by their fancy prices, just how many surviving tickets are there for any Thos. Cook Tour back then? In effect, are these two pieces so valueless that they qualify as being priceless? Feel free to let me know.
If you can contribute any information, do please get in touch…
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