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Titanic Survivor’s Letter Sets Record with £300,000 Auction Sale

Archibald Gracie’s letter, written onboard the Titanic in 1912, becomes the most expensive correspondence from the ship, highlighting enduring interest in its history.

The handwritten letter is dated 10 April 1912, just five days before the Titanic tragedy.
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Overview

  • The letter, written by first-class passenger Archibald Gracie on April 10, 1912, sold at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house for £300,000, five times its initial estimate.
  • It is the only known correspondence from Gracie during the Titanic voyage and features the prescient line, 'It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey’s end before I pass judgment on her.'
  • The letter was purchased by an anonymous U.S. collector, marking the highest price ever achieved for Titanic-related correspondence.
  • Gracie survived the Titanic disaster by clinging to an overturned lifeboat but succumbed to health complications later in 1912, leaving behind one of the most detailed survivor accounts in his book, 'The Truth About the Titanic.'
  • The record-breaking sale underscores the global fascination with Titanic artifacts and their historical significance more than a century after the tragedy.