When ships whose weary timbers have been bleached by the sun and battered by the waves over years of voyaging finally succumb to age, their helms, lanterns, compasses, bells, logs and charts become nautical antiques, telling their tales of the maritime past long after the ships themselves have become scrap. Equipment from newer ships prematurely retired as a result of fire, accident or malfunctions are also sought by collectors. For a maritime object to be of value it must be original, with none of its parts replaced or altered for decorative purposes, and it must have actually been used on a ship. This means that a lantern scratched or cracked in the course of duty is more collectable than a pristine one that has never been to sea. Rarity also affects the interest and value of a piece, so that if a ship is equipped with twenty lanterns and one whistle, for example, the whistle is going to be the more collectable item. Pieces bearing makers' plaques giving the year and place of manufacture are preferred, and the value also varies according to the ship to which they belonged.

Those belonging to steamships are the most desirable. Many of the parts once made of copper or brass are today made of plastic and aluminium, so it seems unlikely that those from ships made during the last 20 years will ever acquire much value. Nautical antiques is a classification that covers a broad range of objects relating to ships or the sea in some way. They do not necessarily have to belong to a ship that is no longer afloat, or even to a ship at all. Model ships, cruise posters, divr'ss helmets, and paintings of nautical subjects all count, as do cufflinks belonging to a captaisng uniform, ship's coffee services, and so on. Copper and brass objects are polished and then may be varnished to prevent them tarnishing. Minor alterations, such as wiring a ship's lantern for use as a decorative lamp, may be carried out so long as the alteration does not affect the originality of the object. These lanterns are popular in restaurants, hotels and offices. Nautical antique collecting is widespread in many countries, particularly Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy.

especially Britain, to buy antiques from Turkey. When ships are scrapped, they are dismantled at Aliaga near Izmir on the Aegean, and it is here that the antique dealers come to retrieve all the parts that are of interest to nautical antique collectors. Even damaged pieces can be worth restoring. Another source of nautical antiques is clearouts of old stock by government departments and companies, which for example recently revealed diving helmets that had been imported from England in the early 20th century. Auction sales and exchanges between collectors are other ways of acquiring objects. Surprisingly few pieces are to be found in antique shops, since owners tend to hang onto their collections, and if obliged to sell prefer to exchange or merely sell a few pieces when in straightened circumstances. A backlash of the high demand for nautical antiques has been the rise in modern reproductions and fakes, so collectors must learn to beware of these, many of which are made in the Far East.

Some of these replicas are so well made that they are hard to tell from the originals and can fetch high prices. A bit of homework and careful examination before buying is the way to avoid this pitfall. For example, knowledgeable collectors are aware that original sextants contain a card bearing the date and stamp, whereas replicas do not. One of the best ways to get the necessary background knowledge into the interesting subject of maritime history is to visit museums. Turkish museums with many nautical exhibits include the Naval Museum, the Maritime Lines Museum and Rahmi Koç Industrial Museum, all of which are in Istanbul.

* Erdem Kabadayi is a freelance writer