NewsFound on the Titanic. Artifact fetches a high price at auction

Found on the Titanic. Artifact fetches a high price at auction

"Extraordinary Titanic artifact sold for a fortune at auction in Great Britain"
"Extraordinary Titanic artifact sold for a fortune at auction in Great Britain"
Images source: © Pixabay

2:52 PM EST, November 13, 2023

The prestigious auction house, Henry Aldridge and Son Limited, recently announced an extraordinary sale. A menu, detailing the meals served to first-class passengers on the Titanic just three days before the disaster, sold for a whopping 84,000 pounds. This small card, which was salvaged from the wreckage, holds immense sentimental, historical, and monetary value today.

What could a 111-year-old Titanic artifact auctioned in Great Britain be worth? An artifact from the famous liner just sold for 84,000 pounds. An anonymous buyer paid this astounding price for a restaurant menu card designed for first-class passengers, meant for a meal served three days before the infamous tragedy.

The legend of the White Star Line liner's journey from Southampton to New York continues to thrive on the British Isles. Titanic artifacts that survived the maritime disaster hold immense value, as evidenced by the buyer who paid more than 400,000 zlotys (approximately $98,748) for this important piece of history.

Though it is essentially a piece of paper, it measures 6.3 by 4.3 inches.

This unassuming card is a trove of emotions and information. Essentially a menu, it's a detailed list of dishes that were served to first-class passengers for dinner on April 11, 1912. It featured luxurious dishes such as oysters, beef, lamb, and mallard duck.

The first-class passengers, symbolic of luxury and wealth, had no qualms about the conditions aboard. A luxurious menu, which miraculously survived the disaster, was specially curated for them. It's still unclear how it survived, but reportedly it's the only one of its kind remaining - according to Henry Aldridge and Son Limited.

It came from the second day of the voyage that began in Southampton, heading for New York. Sailing smoothly through the Atlantic, the ship's dramatic end was beyond anyone's expectation...

A water-damaged, yet readable and intriguing menu was discovered in an old photo album by the daughter of the late Canadian historian Len Stephenson. While it's unknown how he acquired it, there's no question of its origin. The distinctive flag of the White Star Line, the Titanic's operator, is visible on it.

The date on it confirms the menu's incredible origin.

The Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. Leaving Southampton, it set sail for New York but tragically never arrived. After colliding with an iceberg, the ship sank on the night of April 14-15, claiming the lives of around 1,500 people. A lucky 712 people managed to secure a place on the lifeboats and survived.

Touted as the unsinkable, largest passenger ship of its era, this tragically proved to be a myth. The Titanic remains at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, at a depth of about 2.5 miles, silently guarding the numerous secrets that it took along to its watery grave.