Photo:Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd.
Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd.
Pieces of memorabilia from theTitanicwill soon have a new home.
British auction house Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd.announcedit is auctioning off several items on Saturday belonging to passengers from the ill-fated ship, some of which came from the depths of the ocean following its 1912 sinking.
One of these items is afirst-class menudated April 11, approximately three days before the ocean liner sank. The menu appeared to be water-stained but still legible, showing several opulent offerings at the time, including entrées of “Salmon Hollandaise” and “Squab à la Godard” and dessert options like “Apricots Bordaloue” and “Victoria Pudding.”
The auction house noted after checking with museums withTitaniccollections and speaking toTitanicmemorabilia collectors that there were no other first-class menus found for the night of April 11, making it a rarity.
However, it is unknown how Stephenson came to acquire the item, with auctioneer Andrew Aldridge noting, “Sadly, Len has taken the secret of how he acquired this menu to the grave with him.”
The menu is expected to sell for between £50,000 and £70,000 (around $86,000), per the auction house.
A photo of the lifeboat blanket up for sale.Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd.
The items in the collection also include aSwiss-made open-face silver-on-brass watchfrom one of the passengers who did not survive the ill-fated ship’s journey, Sinai Kantor. He was a Russian immigrant who was a second-class passenger on the voyage on his way to America with his wife, Miriam. Kantor’s items were recovered from his body when he was pulled out of the ocean and sent to Miriam, who survived.
The watch features numerals that are Hebrew letters, and the back cover has a design of Moses holding the Ten Commandments, according to the item’s description. The auction house also noted that “the hands are nearly all deteriorated and the dial heavily stained” due to the watch’s immersion into the icy cold water, and the watch’s movement is also “heavily corroded.”
The watch is expected to sell for £50,000 to £80,000 — or nearly $100,000 — at auction.
A closeup of the lifeboat blanket up for sale.Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd.
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source: people.com
