AMEN To 2014
In the interim since our last post, we have added a number of items, including:
This gorgeous, one-of-a-kind zebrano end table from one of the sweet little AUSONIA’s Nino Zoncada-designed first class suites. It is in spectacular condition. The little nickel tab handles and the magazine/book drawer make it all the more sumptuous.
More bridge items from the IVERNIA, this time classic phones. Of the three sets of TCM phones posted, only one is left. There is also a sound-powered phone, shown above, which could be hand cranked in case of a power failure. This is the same type of equipment found in the wheelhouses of all of the classic Cunarders, from the QUEEN MARY up until but not including, the QE2.
One more FRANCONIA Ottoman has joined the small gathering of those recently restored bent ply rescues from Alang. We’re down to the very last of the lot purchased when the ship was beached in 2004. And if ottomans are your thing, dont miss the mahogany-legged one we have listed from PRINCIPE PERFEITO and the lovely little Italian maple one from Incres VICTORIA, that masterpiece of a ship designed by Gustavo Pulitzer-Finale.
A couple one-off Scandinavian chairs from the 1950s built ships TRELLEBORG and KONG FREDERIK IX have also been pulled from the darkest reaches of my storage facilities. These are beautifully styled and rock solid, albeit in much need of some new upholstery.
Among the largest and most distinguished items we have featured on this site, the iron and brass railings from the double deck Mayflower Ballroom of the RMS FRANCONIA are also among the most gorgeous. There are four strips of the Jean Munroe-designed balustrade. Expect more treasures to be uncovered as we continue to sort out our epic move from Moorpark to Oceanside, CA. Now, for the real reason some of you have tuned into this update: I have just returned from Alang, India where the beautiful AMEN (ex ISLAND VENTURE, ISLAND PRINCESS, HYUNDAI PUNGAK, PLATINUM, DISCOVERY) was beached for scrapping last month. The former Love Boat is already gutted and as soon as the container ship in front of her is finished, it will be swift work for the cutters to make her disappear.
If you go to our MidShipCentury Facebook page, which is now up to 1,400 followers and growing rapidly (thank you!), you will find preview shots of a few items that will soon be coming to MidShipCentury. If anything strikes your fancy, please contact us as soon as possible, as we will be getting extremely limited quantities of furnishings and fixtures. If we sense there is far more demand than supply, we will try to get more of each available item but thus far, working with this particular gang of traders has been an unpleasant and tenuous process.
More updates to come. Many thanks and all the best wishes for the New Year!
