Hughes Auctions will offer the Mark Perry Ocean Liner Memorabilia Collection, featuring nearly four decades of rare artifacts from the SS United States, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and other legendary vessels. The sale includes stateroom furnishings, dining silver, illuminated ship models, and Hollywood props, with proceeds benefiting the SS United States Conservancy and the Motion Picture & Television Fund. The catalog goes live August 1, with bidding August 16.
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hughes Auctions of Los Angeles will be offering an extraordinary group of ocean liner collectibles assembled over decades by Mark Perry, a passionate steward of maritime history and self-avowed "ship geek." Centered on the legendary SS United States, the collection spans authentic stateroom furnishings, brushed aluminum railings and signage, First Class dining tableware and silver service, advertising posters, and rare models as well as items from the RMS Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Dominion Monarch, and other storied vessels.
Perry was bitten by the ship bug as a child when he watched the 1960 disaster movie The Last Voyage on NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies. Shot entirely aboard the soon-to-be-scrapped Île de France, the film featured the stunning interiors of the fabled 1927 liner, the first 20th century ship to embrace the art deco aesthetic. "I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. And then years later when The Poseidon Adventure came out in 1972, which featured another deco masterpiece, the Queen Mary, my interest in ships ramped up to a full-blown obsession," Perry said.
After nearly four decades of serious collecting, Perry decided it was time to downsize and move from his four-bedroom 1938 streamline moderne house in Los Angeles to a smaller place, and while he's keeping the "crème de la crème" of his collection, he estimates about 90% will be sold. When asked how he feels about letting it all go, Perry replied, "I've come to think of the collection as a 30-year art installation, and the house was the perfect canvas. But now I'm relieved to know the pieces will undoubtedly go to other ship geeks. I mean, we're only the curators of these treasures in our lifetimes." Hughes strategy is to set low opening bids for all lots in hopes that everything will find good homes.
The bulk of the items going on the block are associated with the legendary SS United States, a 1952 mid-century-modern technological marvel that shattered the record for fastest transatlantic crossing on her maiden voyage. William Francis Gibbs, the ship's designer, was obsessed with fire prevention, so the vessel was built and furnished with all non-flammable materials. The lots being sold include metal First Class stateroom furniture, a Synchron electric clock identical to one in the ship's radio room, a complete silverplate caviar server, linens, a highly collectible metal table lamp from the First or Cabin Class dining room, and more. There are several large travel agent models including the United States, the French Line's France and Liberté, Cunard's Mauretania, Aquitania, QE2 and a stunning scratch-built 6' model of the Queen Elizabeth which was built to be illuminated. Also offered is the entire collection of the late maritime historian and Seattle's one-time Port Commissioner Gordon Newell. These lots are all related to the Shaw Savill Lines' 1937 liner Dominion Monarch, including a life ring, a scratch-built illuminated model, and Newell's personal scrapbook brimming with ephemera and news clippings about his work to bring that ship to serve as a floating hotel for the city's Century 21 Exposition in 1962.
Perry serves on the Advisory Council of the SS United States Conservancy, a national non-profit organization working to preserve the ship's legacy at a planned museum in Florida near the site of where the vessel itself will become the world's largest artificial reef. He plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the United States lots to the group's museum fund.
Outside of his maritime hobby, Perry is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning television writer and producer with well over 30 years in the business. As part of the auction, he will also be cleaning house of some one-of-a-kind props used in the CBS hit series Ghost Whisperer. Among these is a full scale ceremonial life ring from the fictional ill-fated SS Claridon. This was a prop from an episode Perry wrote that was filmed aboard his beloved Queen Mary. Proceeds from the sale of these items will be donated to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
As he watched the Hughes' trucks drive off with his carefully inventoried and meticulously packed collection, Perry observed, "I've always joked that my biggest regret about dying would be that I'd miss my own estate sale, but now, thanks to Hughes, I won't have to."
The auction catalog will go live at www.hughesauctions.com the weekend of August 1, 2026, and the live online auction will begin Sunday, August 16, at 10 a.m. PDT. For more information, write to [email protected].
Media Contact
Liz Hughes, Hughes Auctions, 1 6267919600, [email protected], https://www.hughesauctions.com
SOURCE Hughes Auctions
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