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yesterday

Titanic Survivor's Letter Sells for Record £300,000 at Auction

Colonel Archibald Gracie's 1912 correspondence, written aboard the Titanic, fetched five times its estimate, underscoring its rarity and historical significance.

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Leonardo DiCaprio, left, and Kate Winslet in a scene from "Titanic." (Paramount Pictures via AP)
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Overview

  • A letter written by Titanic survivor Colonel Archibald Gracie on April 10, 1912, was auctioned for £300,000 in Wiltshire, England.
  • The letter, postmarked in Queenstown, Ireland, is believed to be the only surviving correspondence penned by Gracie aboard the ship.
  • Gracie described the Titanic as an excellent ship but reserved judgment until the journey's end, a remark viewed as eerily prescient.
  • The sale, conducted by Henry Aldridge & Son, far exceeded the initial estimate of £60,000, setting a new benchmark for Titanic memorabilia.
  • Gracie survived the disaster by clinging to a capsized lifeboat and later authored a detailed book on the tragedy, published posthumously in 1912.