Land Sea and Air - Vintage Airline Cruise Ship & Railway Collectibles
Traveling was glamorous back in the day, something only the well-off could afford to do. The prestige of the journey itself was key. Today some means of travel seem to be simply a necessary chore with none of the associated past glitz, so collectors actively seek out the ephemera and advertising items that invoke the "good old days" and past dreams of exotic locales and fine dining aboard ships/planes/trains.
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| Collection of Cruise Ship & Airline Menus |
Left hand side (above) are vintage menus from the Cunard/White Star Line cruise ship Aquitania 1948, the covers decorated with works of art. Right hand side (above) are vintage menus from Qantas Airlines Australia 1970 (top) celebrating their 50th Anniversary year and 1960s (bottom).
Fine dining aboard an airline? YES! Real cutlery and dishes, too!
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| Qantas Airlines menu offering 1960s |
Luncheon menu from the cruise ship Aquitania 1948.
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| Luncheon Menu aboard the Aquitania Cruise Ship 1948 |
To make airline travel more exciting, and to document milestones of your flight, many flights offered funky certificates to prove you passed over the International Date Line, the Equator or actually flew over the ocean.
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| Qantas Certificate Crossing the Equator¹ |
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| BOAC Certificate Crossing the Equator² |
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| BOAC Hopped The Pond Certificate³ |
A selection of Airline Certificates. (1) King Neptune Certificate from Qantas attesting to the fact one flew over the Equator dated 1970 and signed. (2) BOAC Certificate attesting to the same event dated 1968 and signed. (3) BOAC Hopped the Pond Certificate dated 1950 and signed attesting to the fact one actually made it over the Atlantic Ocean from Britain to Canada. BOAC went on to become British Airways.
Old airline tickets are also collectible. Most threw them away, but some folks, like my mother, kept EVERYTHING to do with the journeys they took and collectors seek them out.
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| Qantas Airline Ticket 1969 |
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| Handwritten Ticket 1969 Qantas |
Qantas Airline Tickets, handwritten in 1969, traveling from Brisbane Australia to London England. Airfare cost noted $683. A hefty sum in 1969!
Airlines change frequently. Many no longer exist, were absorbed by other companies or changed their names. Those no longer around, whose names have changed, or have changed their logos are of particular interest to collectors.
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| CP Air (Canada) Ticket Envelope |
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| Pacific Western (Canada) Playing Cards |
A CP Air (Canadian Pacific) Ticket Envelope (left).
Pacific Western Playing Cards (right). Pacific Western Airlines was the first Canadian carrier to order the Boeing 737 Jet in 1968. PWA purchased CP Air in 1987 becoming Canadian Airlines, and later purchased Wardair. In 2001 Air Canada purchased Canadian Airlines.
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| Wardair (Canada) Ticket Envelope & Afternoon Tea Service Menu |
Wardair was a much beloved airline in Canada, providing real cutlery and dishes long after other airlines had switched to plastic and maintained their high quality of food service into the 1980s.
Wardair Ticket envelope and Afternoon Tea Service Menu card.
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| Harmony Airways (Canada) Salt & Pepper Shakers |
Harmony Airways plastic sealed salt & pepper shakers, figural airplanes. Harmony was a short-lived charter airline in Canada between 2002 to 2007.
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| Match Book Wein Air Alaska 1974 |
To entertain and engage young passengers, encouraging future travel as adults, airlines created clubs and programs with little keepsakes that children would proudly show to friends and family. A peek into the cockpit often accompanied the pin award.
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| American Airlines Junior Stewardess Pin |
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| Pan Am Junior Flyer Pin |
Airline neckties, watches, trays, lapel pins and other items showing company logos are popular.
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| Air Transat Necktie |
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| Air Canada Necktie |
Air Transat (Canada) Necktie, a charter airline was established in 1987 and is in current operation (left).
Air Canada Necktie, founded in 1936 as Trans-Canada Airlines, it changed its name to Air Canada in 1965 and is in current operation.
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| South African Airways Lapel Pin |
South African Airways lapel pin, a figural Springbok Antelope, both the symbol of South Africa and of the airline, until the airline logo changed in 1997.
Cruise ships sell many on-board souvenirs to commemorate travel. A signature trademark of Holland America Line is their Delftware boxed coasters.
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| Holland America Cruise Lines Coaster |
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| Holland America Cruise Lines Coaster |
The blue Delft Holland (The Netherlands) ceramic coasters come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, made by Royal Goedewaagan famous for their Delftware since 1610. Tiles depict vintage pictorials, renditions of the ship you sail and famous places.
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| Brooch Butterfly Wing Pin RMS Aquitania Ship 1948 |
Gorgeous Vintage Brooch, from on board the Cunard/White Star Lines Aquitania Cruise Ship 1948. The iridescent background is called butterfly wing, and pin has a domed surface.
Rail opened up land destinations and Railway Hotels affiliated with the Railroads appeared encouraging patrons to stay close to convenient routes.
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| Engraved Coat of Arms GWR |
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| GWR Silverplated Railway Matchbox Stand |
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| Stand made by Elkington Plate UK |
This silver plated matchbox stand is engraved with a Coat of Arms incorporating the town shields of London and Bristol with a banner beneath "Great Western Railway Hotels". Hallmarked E & Co, it was made by Elkington and the symbol indicates 1929.
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| Art Pottery France Jug Viaduc de Garabit |
A gorgeous Art Pottery France signed Jug with original label, a souvenir of the Viaduc de Garabit, a train trestle bridge built by Gustave Eiffel and opened in 1885.
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| Shell Oil Locomotive Decanter Deutsche Bahn Railway |
A Commemorative ceramic decanter made for the 10 year anniversary of DB Deutsche Bahn AG, German National Railway and presented by Shell Oil. This item will appeal to both Railroadiana buffs and Oil and Gas collectors. Decanter dates to 2004.
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| Union Pacific Railway Engineer Teddy Bear |
Not to be overlooked are advertising plush.
A cuddly Teddy Bear by ACI International wearing a Union Pacific logo engineer's denim striped uniform. Union Pacific's network is the largest in the USA, now moving only freight, Union Pacific did have passenger train routes between 1869 to 1971 including the famous Overland Route. This bear dates c1970s to 1980s.
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| Dakin Wardair Teddy Bear in Uniform |
A Wardair (Canada) Pilot Teddy Bear by Dakin 1987, shortly before Wardair was purchased by Canadian Airlines/Pacific Western Airlines.
Some of the items featured here are available at Mandicrafts.
Many paper ephemera collectible items get thrown away amongst stacks of paperwork when decluttering. Check those piles for vintage travel paperwork in case a hidden gem may be uncovered! Estate sales are a prime resource for such finds.
Happy Hunting
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Mandy
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Great blog Mandy - very interesting and informative. I have a menu from Christmas dinner on the Queen Mary (somewhere LOL) My Dad was in Europe during WW2 and came home a few months after the war was over on the Queen Mary. It was over Christmas time so they had Christmas Dinner on board and they were given a menu as a momento.
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