The Famous Floating Wooden Door Jack And Rose Used As A Makeshift Raft At The End Of “Titanic” Recently Sold For Over $700,000

nyiragongo - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
nyiragongo - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

On March 23, a prop from the 1997 movie Titanic was sold for over $700,000. The prop in question happened to be the floating wooden board that served as a makeshift raft for the characters Jack and Rose at the end of the film.

After the ship sank, Rose climbed on top of a wooden door frame to stay afloat while her lover Jack hung onto the edge of the panel. When a rescue boat finally arrived, it was too late for Jack.

Ever since the movie’s premiere in 1997, people have insisted that Jack’s death was unnecessary. They claimed that the board could’ve supported the weight of both Jack and Rose while they waited for help to come.

During the filming, a door frame made out of balsa wood was used for the prop. It was eight feet long and three and a half feet wide. It was part of the entrance to the first-class lounge on the ship.

Designers created the door frame based on a piece of debris that was recovered from the actual wreck in 1912.

According to the lot listing, the prop closely resembles the Louis XV-style panel in the Maritime Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The director of the Titanic, James Cameron, visited the museum frequently when conducting research for the film.

The prop was sold during a Heritage Auctions sale that featured 1,600 other Hollywood artifacts. During the five-day event, collectors battled each other over many legendary pieces.

For example, there was the ax from The Shining, Princess Leia’s blaster from Return of the Jedi, and the whip from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

The whip raked in a whopping $525,000, unseating the previous Indiana Jones record from 2021 of $500,000 for a fedora from Raiders of the Lost Ark, per Heritage Auctions.

nyiragongo – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

The auction house sold other items from Titanic as well, including the chiffon dress Rose wore, the helm wheel of the ship, and a large brass engine order telegraph.

However, the door panel was the star of the show. The bidding began at $60,000. In just a few minutes, the price shot up to $700,000.

Finally, the floating wood panel was sold for $718,750. The buyer has remained anonymous.

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Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

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