A life jacket worn by first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli as she escaped the sinking RMS Titanic sold for $906,000 (£670,00) at an auction in England. The flotation device was signed by her and other survivors from lifeboat No. 1.
Key Takeaways
A life jacket worn by first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli as she escaped the sinking RMS Titanic sold for $906,000 (£670,00) at an auction in England. The flotation device was signed by her and other survivors from lifeboat No. 1.
- Life jacket worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli sells for $906,000 (£670,00)
- Item believed to be one of only a handful of Titanic life jackets still in existence
- Seat cushion from a Titanic lifeboat sold for $527,000 (£390,00) to owners of two Titanic museums
- RMS Titanic hit an iceberg off Newfoundland during its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912
- Record auction price for a piece of Titanic memorabilia is $2 million paid in 2024 for a gold pocket watch
The cream-colored canvas life jacket with cork-filled sections was the star item among Titanic memorabilia sold by Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers in Devizes, western England. It went to an unidentified telephone bidder for well over the presale estimate of between £250,000 and £350,000, according to multiple reports.
A seat cushion from one of the Titanic lifeboats also sold at the same auction for $527,000 (£390,00) to the owners of two Titanic museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. The prices include an auction-house fee known as the buyer's premium.
The RMS Titanic hit an iceberg off Newfoundland during its maiden voyage from England to New York on April 15, 1912. Some 1,500 of the 2,200 passengers and crew died in the disaster. Francatelli was traveling with her employer, fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon, and Lucy's husband Cosmo Duff Gordon. All three survived in the ship's lifeboat No. 1.
The record auction price for a piece of Titanic memorabilia is $2 million paid in 2024 for a gold pocket watch given to the captain of RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued 700 Titanic survivors. The life jacket sale reflects the ongoing interest and passion for the story of the Titanic, its passengers, and crew.
The lifejacket is believed to be one of only a handful of Titanic life jackets still in existence, according to Fox News. Francatelli wore the life jacket as she boarded Lifeboat No. 1 with 11 others after the Titanic struck an iceberg just before midnight on April 14, 1912.
Lifeboat No. 1, which had a capacity of 40, became controversial for failing to return to pick up additional survivors from the freezing Atlantic waters. The cream-colored life jacket has been displayed at museums in the United States and Europe.
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