A flotation device worn by a Titanic survivor during the infamous 1912 disaster brought in more than $900,000 at a London auction house over the weekend.
The life jacket belonged to Laura Mabel Francatelli, who was traveling as a first-class passenger when the massive ocean liner struck an iceberg and sank. The vest bears signatures from Francatelli and fellow survivors who shared the same lifeboat during their escape.
Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers in Devizes, western England, conducted the sale where an anonymous telephone bidder purchased the item for 670,000 pounds. The final price significantly surpassed the pre-auction estimate of 250,000 to 350,000 pounds.
During the same event, a lifeboat seat cushion from the disaster fetched 390,000 pounds and was acquired by operators of Titanic museums located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. Both sale prices include standard auction house fees.
“These record-breaking prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic story, and the respect for the passengers and crew whose stories are immortalized by these items of memorabilia,” stated auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
The massive steamship, marketed as the world’s premier luxury vessel and considered “practically unsinkable,” collided with an iceberg near Newfoundland while traveling from England to New York on its inaugural journey. The vessel went down in the early hours of April 15, 1912, claiming approximately 1,500 lives from the 2,200 people aboard.
Public fascination with the maritime disaster continues more than a century later, partly due to the diverse mix of passengers ranging from wealthy elites to impoverished immigrants.
Francatelli was accompanying her boss, fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon, along with Lucy’s spouse Cosmo Duff Gordon. The trio escaped in lifeboat No. 1, which departed with only 12 occupants despite being designed for 40 people. The boat’s crew faced criticism afterward for not attempting to rescue people struggling in the icy waters.
The highest amount ever paid for Titanic artifacts remains 1.56 million pounds, which was spent in 2024 for a gold pocket watch presented to the captain of RMS Carpathia, the vessel that rescued 700 survivors from the tragedy.
