The letter, one of the few of its kind from the ill-fated ship, fetched a massive price tag at auction.
In London, UK, a lettercard written by one of the most famous survivors of the Titanic while onboard the ship, just days before it sank, fetched a price of 300,000 pounds ($399,000) at an auction.
The letter, dated April 10, 1912, was addressed to the seller’s great-uncle by first-class passenger Archibald Gracie. In the note, Gracie described the Titanic as a “fine ship but I shall await my journeys end before I pass judgment on her.”
Auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, England, revealed that the letter was acquired by a private collector from the United States during the auction on Saturday. Surpassing the initial estimate of 60,000 pounds, the final price exceeded all expectations.
The letter is believed to be the sole example in existence from Gracie from onboard the Titanic, which sank off Newfoundland after hitting an iceberg, killing about 1,500 people on its maiden voyage.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described it as an “exceptional museum grade piece.”
Gracie, who jumped from the ship and managed to scramble onto an overturned collapsible boat, was rescued by other passengers onboard a lifeboat and was taken to the R.M.S. Carpathia. He went on to write “The Truth about the Titanic,” an account of his experiences, when he returned to New York City.
Gracie boarded the Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912, and was assigned first-class cabin C51. His book is seen as one of the most detailed accounts of the events of the night the ship sank, Aldridge said. Gracie did not fully recover from the hypothermia he suffered, and died of complications from diabetes in late 1912.
The letter was postmarked Queenstown, Ireland, one of two stops the Titanic made before sinking.
