In high school one summer, I went on a sailing trip to the Florida Keys and brought back a potsherd recovered from the famous Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha lost during a hurricane in 1622. It now rests on a bookcase propped up against my fish bowl with other maritime artifacts that I have collected since childhood. Wigs, my betta fish, especially likes to hide behind it.
On the lowest shelf is a seashell encrusted box where I keep a piece of coal brought up from the Titanic. My father likes to joke that I was the only child to ever ask Santa Claus for a lump but mine sits next to a bar of Vinolia Otto soap proudly. Marked by a royal warrant of appointment, this soap was the only product advertised as having been on the ill-fated ship.
Although, while these old ships have been a passion of mine since I was little, I try to display my collection in a way that does not feel too nautical or out-of-place. A Bahamian conch on top of my record player around the corner helps tie everything on this bookcase into the larger surrounding space. I would like to think my solution is pleasing and playful without being beach decor.
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