Titanic Barber Shop Souvenirs

As long as we're on the Barber Shop, I know that men generally had their own shaving mugs kept at the local barber's they patronized each day - but did those mugs travel with them, or did they just use the ones already on Titanic?
 
George and Jeremy, I'm on the northern edge of Adelaide, South Australia, which is far hotter than the tropics. It was 42°C today in the city, maybe more at home.
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We've had a few of those days in Sydney as well, Dave...it's with furnace conditions like that I have cause to be grateful for living right by the sea. We're usually a few degrees down from the City...and as many as 5 or more from the Western suburbs where I've been staying with a mate the last few days (thank God for aircon, Cosmopolitans, Daiquiries and eskies). Jason, 35C does sound like a notch or two up on what I was accustomed to in Singapore - have you had the daily thunderstorm yet, swelling all the stormwater drains and flooding Bukit Timah Road?

Bob, I seem to recall that the pincushion went under the hammer at the BTS convention a few years back? 2001, it might have been. One of my colleagues sitting next to me and paying wrapt attention - a keen auction watcher for many years - was astonished that it went for as little as it did...he was tempted to go for another mortgage and put his own paddle up. We later had a friendly blue about it, as I nominated an album of photos featuring some crewman who would go on to serve aboard the Titanic as being something I'd rather spend the money on. Apples and oranges, but it did demonstrate the differences in how we value items.

My favourite WSL souveneir item dates originated on one of Lowe's later vessels, late 1920s - early 30s. A cleverly nested group of shotglasses in a case shaped like a bullet, bearing the legend 'take a shot'.
 
>>35C does sound like a notch or two up on what I was accustomed to in Singapore - have you had the daily thunderstorm yet, swelling all the stormwater drains and flooding Bukit Timah Road?<<

If only we had the rain! The plants in my garden are all dying!!!
 
I feel like a god tonight, resurrecting old posts (OK, that sounds like sacrilege). I wonder, did the First Class Barbershop sell teddy bears? I'm thinking they actually did for a couple reasons. 1) Titanic: The Ship Magnificent says and I quote: "There was no set merchandise available; it varied depending on what was popular and what was available." In 1912, teddy bears were extremely popular, as I have been led to believe. So it would seem that it would be there because it is popular. 2) When young Douglas Spedden arrived on the Carpathia, he mistakingly left his bear, Polar, in the lifeboat he was on. When Polar was returned to his Master, Spedden had already gotten another bear at the ship's barbershop! If Cunard's Carpathia had an assortment of bears within their collection, wouldn't you assume they would have bears in the Titanic's barbershop? Can you find any reason why there wouldn't be a bear in stores? Any response will be, as always, appreciated.

If only our good old friend Mr. Marshall Drew were here. He could probably tell us what the Titanic to offer, since he got a ribbon in there and everything. *Sigh*
 
>>I wonder, did the First Class Barbershop sell teddy bears?<<

If Carpathia did, I see no reason why barbershops on other ships wouldn't, including Titanic, except perhaps that it may not have appealed much to their customer base. Unfortunately, I know of no records still extant which details what they carried. The thing is that they didn't have the sort of shops, arcades and malls which we take for granted on modern cruise ships, and the space they had available was extremely limited. That would tend to narrow down the options they had to trinket and souvenier type sundries.
 
Thanks, Bob!!

It seemed as though you were leading me to that one remaining easter egg, about ready to rot because it hasn't been found for so long! Hopefully it's still good because I am hungry!!
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Titanic: The Ship Magnificent says that "There was no set merchandise available; it varied depending on what was popular and what was available." However, if it was anything like what was in the Olympic's Second class barbershop on page 401 of the said book, it would seem as though they had dolls. They may have also had pincushions (see above), spoons, ribbons (like the one Marshall Drew's uncle bought for him), caps, pens, notebooks, cups, chocolates, wallets & purses, combs, gum, Irish lace, watches, toothbrushes, flags, plates, and badges, most bearing the ship's name.

By the way, Bob, the egg was still good
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Here's another question for y'all:

Has anything from Titanic's barber shop been found at the wreck site, and has anything been recovered? I don't recall seeing any recovered souvenirs at the several different RMSTI Exhibitions I have attended, but then again, there are many thousands of items in distribution, and I might not have attended an exhibition that featured these items. One would imagine that the glass plates and little silver chotchkies would still be around.
 
Chotchkies? The American language is drifting even further from English! :-) I don't think any of the souvenir spoons have been found, but one example (which never went to sea) can be seen in the Southampton Maritime Museum. That I believe is the only one presently above water.
 
You may already know this, and I might just be talking to hear myself talk. However, I do know that Marshall Drew's uncle, Jim, purchased a ribbon for him as they toured the First-class facilities. I know that's still around and is one of the only items of Titanic paraphernalia that remains to this day. Last I heard, it was sold for around $31,000 (or was it £s?). Not entirely sure. Like I said, you've probably already heard this, and I am repeating well known facts.

Regarding anything found on the ocean floor, I can't help you there. The only reason I talked about Marshall Drew is because I have researched him in order to create a "copy character," so to speak, in my writing.
 

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