A card sent from a Titanic survivor as he waited for it to set sale is one of the top lots in a major sale of artefacts relating to the disaster.
Archibald Gracie is one of the best-known Titanic survivors thanks largely to an account of the tragedy that he wrote almost immediately on arriving in New York.
Gracie boarded at Southampton on April 10, 1912. He helped to launch collapsible lifeboats as the unsinkable liner went down with 1,503 dead. Although he made it to the US, Gracie was irreparably harmed by his experience and died in December 1912.
The card is an extraordinary fragment of the terrible tragedy of the Titanic. Image courtesy of Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd.
A card written by him, headed “on board RMS Titanic” and dated April 10th will be auctioned at Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd on April 26.
Gracie writes: “It is a fine ship but I shall await my journeys end before I pass judgment on her. The Oceanic is like an old friend and while she does not possess the elaborate style and varied amusement of this big ship, still her sea worthy qualities and yacht like appearance make me miss her. It was very kind of you to give me this kindly send off, with best wishes for your success and happiness Archibald Gracie.”
The card was postmarked in Queenstown (the ship’s stop in Ireland) on April 11, and in London on April 12.
It is being sold by a descendant of its recipient.
Henry Aldridge & Son say: “It is impossible to overstate the rarity of this lot, it is written by one of the highest profile survivors, with excellent content and on the rarest of mediums a lettercard. A truly exceptional museum grade piece.”
With an estimate of £40,000 to £60,000, the card is already at £60,000 in pre-sale bidding.
The movie Titanic has taken the story to another generation and added another layer of collectibles. Image courtesy of Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd.
Expected to make a similar amount is a prop violin from the movie Titanic. It was played on-screen by Jonathan Evans-Jones, who portrayed legendary bandmaster Wallace Hartley, and carries a £40,000 to £60,000 estimate.
A used third-class table ticket carries the same estimate.
A ladies’ pocket watch carried on his final voyage by Hans Christensen is predicted to realise as much as £50,000 at the 327-lot auction in Devizes, Wiltshire.
The Titanic still holds a powerful fascination for collectors.
Last year, a commemorative gold watch given to a rescue-ship captain sold for £1.5 million.
The actual violin played by Wallace Hartley sold for £1.1 million in 2013.
