Titanic Artifacts to Be Auctioned, as Well as Other Ocean Liners' Items

Artifacts from the famous sunken ocean liner titled the "Titanic" are going to be auctioned, according to Newsday. (Newsday -Artifacts from the Titanic, other oceanliners to be auctioned)

There is an array of items that are going to be sold at the auction. Some of these items include letters from Titanic survivors, the first-class passenger list, an eight page long letter written by a survivor that retold the story of the sinking Titanic from the author's point-of-view, and more. To give an idea of the estimated value of one of these items, the fist-class passenger list has a pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$20,000.

The Titanic was a large ocean liner that was meant to be nearly unsinkable. The large ship was created for a a cruise ship, and contained over 2,000 passengers on board. In April of the year 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg, which broke the ship nearly into two different pieces. The ship was completely sunk two hours and forty minutes later.

The Titanic isn't the only ship that has items being sold though. According to Newsday, other ships that help aid the Titanic have valuable items being sold as well. The S.S. MacKay-Bennett , the second ship to the scene of the Titanic, has it's deck log at a pre-estimate sale of $30,000-$40,000, making it the most expensive artifact from a rescue ship to ever be put up for sale.

As stated before, one of the items up for bidding is an original eight-page letter written by Laurie Marie Cribb, a Titanic survivor originally from New Jersey. Her father, however, perished in the Titanic tragedy. This note alone contains what she heard and saw as the Titanic sunk into the dark ocean. According to Newsday, part of the note is as follows:

As soon as the lights of the Titanic went out, Laurie heard the "most terrible shrieks and groans from the helpless and doomed passengers who were left on the wreck of the great ship." (Laurie Marie Cribb [Newsday])

The auction will also contain items from other famous sunken ocean liners. One ship includes the Andrea Doria, an Italian ocean liner that collided with another ship in 1956, essentially killing 46 people. Other items that are being sold are lesser value, but still important. These items include original ship posters, ship models, paintings, and other various, but easier accessible items.

Source: Associated Press,"Artifacts from the Titanic, other ocean liners to be auctioned." Newsday.
URL: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--titanicsale0622jun22,0,2704499.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork