Everyone has heard of the Titanic.  It is considered the most tragic peace-time maritime disaster.  Something has always intrigued me about the Titanic.  Maybe it is the massive size of the ship, or the utter tragic end of a thought-to-be unsinkable ship.  The sinking of the Titanic influenced nautical laws and regulations to this day.  It wasn’t the only ship that did so.  There were several other disasters that sculpted the strict regulations that make ships vastly safer.  This week I learned a lot about one in particular.

A long time ago, back in the 1930′s, though prohibition had ended, there were still very strict laws in some areas in regards to drinking.  To get away from the strict laws, people booked cruises where they could drink and have a good time without any fear of being ostracized or arrested.  The booze cruises would travel up and down the East Coast to Cuba and back to New York (among other places).  On the ocean, there were no regulations about how much you were allowed to drink.

One such cruise ship, the S.S. Morro Castle, was on a voyage back to New York from Cuba when a fire started in the lower decks.  No one knows exactly how the fire started (though there are many assumptions, including an irate employee starting it because of low wages), but the entire ship became engulfed in flames.

The captain tried to beach the cruiser to evacuate the ship but couldn’t do it in time and upwards of 134 people perished.  It was a major tragedy that made worldwide headlines.  The ship eventually beached in Asbury Park New Jersey on September 8^th 1934.  The ship was still smoldering and charred black from the flames.  People from all over traveled to the beach to see the massive boat.  You can find photos of the ship beached on shore.  They are pretty amazing.  The ship was not quite half the size of Titanic, but it was still an impressive cruiser.

The public was outraged at the lax measures that were implemented to keep the boat safe.  The burning of the Morro Castle caused stricter rules that required ships use flame-retardant materials, better alarm systems, vastly more thorough training for crew members, and more.  It changed the face of ship building and operating to this day.

I didn’t know anything about the S.S. Morro Castle until a photograph of it came across my desk.  It is a picture taken from the beach in Asbury Park, by a photographer named Leon Harris.  We have received several photos taken by him.  He was an active, and I believe, prize winning photographer.  He lived in New Jersey.  As I did research on the story of the Morro Castle it dawned on me – the photograph I had on my desk was taken by someone who was on the beach where the Morro Castle came to rest.  It isn’t a copy.  It is a photo made from the original negative.  Mr. Harris had been there, and being a photographer, of course he would snap a shot of it!

It is pretty cool holding such a piece of history in my hands.  You can check out the photo HERE.

What I love about our business is that every week we get something different and new in.  As a writer, my job is to research what we have and find out exactly what it is, what is collectible about it, how to market it, and how to identify key points that the serious collector will be looking for.

Every day I learn something new, while searching for the obscure details about a unique item.  It is never boring; that is for sure.  I’ve noticed that when I am at my friends’ houses I start looking at the stuff I never noticed before, like a decorative plate on the mantle, or the vintage looking computer desk in the corner.

I love finding out about new things.  When we get a new collection in the store, we put a lot of work into it.  We want to share that with everyone who comes to our website; you never know if you have the same thing at your home.  That old china set that you haven’t used in years might be something that collectors are willing to pay big bucks for!

This past week was a good one.  We got in some antique {sterling silverware} that could be from the mid 1800′s.  The history and craftsmanship add so much value to the pieces.  Each piece has its own story.

Remember the toys you used to play with when you were younger?  For me it was Transformers and He-Man – my sister had Barbies and other dolls.  We actually recently got in a bunch of vintage Barbie stuff from the 1960′s.  Does anyone remember Midge and Skipper?  Or the Barbie Dream House made of cardboard?  We have a furnished Dream House complete with the old instructions and advertisements.  It is amusing to read them; it takes you way back to a different world.

Finally, we got in some Smurf glasses.  Yes, the little blue things that lived in mushrooms and had adventures on a weekly basis on TV.  I remember watching the show when I was a lot younger – I loved the Smurfs.  It was something my brother, sister, and I could watch together without fighting.  The glasses have a retro-80′s style and were part of a Hardee’s restaurant give-away.  They are collectible and highly sought after by Smurf fans!  You never know what you may have that someone else is looking for.