Artifacts From The Famed Titanic Were Recently Sold At Auction, Including A First-Class Menu From Three Days Before The Ship Sank And A Pocket Watch Retrieved From The Body Of A Passenger
History geeks and fans of the Titanic will be interested to hear that artifacts from the famed vessel itself have been sold at the British auction house Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd. Some of the items were found at the depths of the ocean, where they settled after the ship sunk.
In April of 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg on its journey from Southhampton, England, to New York City. The luxury passenger liner did not have enough lifeboats for the 2,200 people on board. As a result, the accident claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people.
One of the pieces of memorabilia was a first-class menu dated April 11, which was three days before the ship sank. It has been described as a “remarkable survivor.”
The menu was from the first dinner after the Titanic left Queenstown. Queenstown had been the ocean liner’s last stop before its intended arrival in New York.
The menu itself appeared to have several water stains and offered a variety of food items, such as oysters, salmon hollandaise, spring lamb with mint sauce, and roast chicken with bread sauce.
The dinner menu offers a glimpse of the glamor and decadent delights that first-class passengers on the Titanic must have experienced.
After speaking with Titanic memorabilia collectors and consulting with numerous museums, the auction house was unable to locate any other first-class dinner menus from April 11, making it one-of-a-kind.
The menu was found in a photo album from the 1960s that belonged to Len Stephenson, a community historian who lived in Nova Scotia, Canada.
His daughter, Mary Anita, discovered it after he passed. The auction house estimated that the menu would sell for between £50,000 and £70,000, which would equate to about $86,000.
nyiragongo – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Also listed for auction was a pocket watch retrieved from the body of a passenger who was a victim of the Titanic’s collision, Sinai Kantor. He was a Russian immigrant and second-class passenger accompanied by his wife, Miriam.
After his body was pulled from the icy waters, his personal effects were given to Miriam, who was saved on a lifeboat.
The watch was described as “extremely rare.” It features numerals that are Hebrew figures, and the back cover is engraved with a design of Moses holding the Ten Commandments.
Due to its exposure to salt water, the watch is in a state of deterioration. Its movement has been significantly impaired and shows signs of water damage. It was expected to sell for £50,000 to £80,000, or nearly $100,000.
Finally, a deck blanket imprinted with the words “White Star Line” was put up for sale. The blanket was used by a Titanic survivor in a lifeboat on the way to a rescue ship. It was estimated to sell for up to £100,000 or $123,000.
The bidding has now ended for all the items.
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