Titanic Antique Malls

Just imagine an antique mall filled with Titanic items!

Okay, that is a fantasy, but I do love antique malls. There are several within 45 minutes of my home. My first buy in the "antique" category occurred when I was still in elementary school. At that age, within walking distance of my childhood home, I found a wonderful yet small-sized copper hurricane oil lamp, and a ceramic blue snake candlesnuffer designed so the smoke would exit through his nostrils. That was too cool for a kid like me to pass up! After all my 3rd grade science fair project was on snakes, so I guess I was permanently 'hooked' on collecting old things.

Yesterday, I was in one of my favorite antique malls where I have found SO many items, decorative and utilitarian. Everything from mason jars filled with sea shells (I'm building a grotto), to a sturdy and hefty, round-topped table for my studio that is the perfect height to stand next to and sculpt at. So I'm walking the aisles, scanning for interesting bargains , my eyes computing the myriad images like the Terminator, when I say to myself with a sigh, "I rarely find Titanic-related items in any of these malls!" I turned an aisle, and THERE, on display, in a vendor's booth, is a slightly worn copy of James Cameron's TITANIC book. I have quite a few Titanic books, but never got around to buying this one. And there's a sale...75% off! What self-respecting Titanic enthusiast could resist this image-filled soft cover piece of history for $2.50? Honestly, I would have snatched it at the original $10 price tag...already half the published price.

Flipping the pages I came across photos of the re-creation of the Titanic's Grand Staircase. I was instantly transported back to the late 1990s, and the box office-breaking movie that made Titanic collectors out of many of us. For me, it was also the period in which I sculpted the first "Honour and Glory Crowning Time" in 1/2 scale, which then became the "Large Titanic Clock."

It was dark, chilly, and pouring rain when I exited the store at 5:05 pm midwestern time... but I was grateful it wasn't snow. I had my treasure in a dry plastic bag and popped it into the car. With Elvis and the heater blasting, I drove home knowing that all was right with the world!