Norah Wellings sailor doll...

I found something really cool today. This little doll:

I got it for 15p in a charity shop in town. I could tell it was old but I didn't know much about Norah Wellings. A short while on the interweb told me that these sailor dolls were made to be sold on the cruise liners before World War 2 and they bore the ships names on their hats.

RMS Carinthia made her maiden voyage in 1925 from Liverpool to New York. She was part of the Cunard White Star Line. She stopped being a cruise liner in 1939 when she was converted into an armed merchant cruiser and was torpedoed and sank the following year with a loss of 4 lives. The fact that the ship took 36 hours to sink probably is the reason only four died I would imagine.

A huge amount of these sailor dolls were made by Norah Wellings who started her working life with Chad Valley before starting her own company with her brother. Some are more valuable than others. I don't know if they score more points if the boat came to a sticky end.

 This one has it's original label and is in very good condition. I would imagine it's worth rather more than 15p. When I find out and sell it, the charity shop will recieve a decent donation. It is a childrens charity after all.

Don't you just love charity shops? You never know what you're going to find and what you can learn. And where else can you get anything for 15p?!!

Linking with Me and My Shadow: Magpie Monday

and Blackbird has Spoken: Op shop show off