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yesterday

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

The only known letter written by Archibald Gracie aboard the Titanic fetched five times its estimate, highlighting the enduring fascination with the ship's tragic history.

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

  • The letter, penned by first-class passenger Archibald Gracie on April 10, 1912, sold for £300,000 ($399,000) at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire, England.
  • It is believed to be the sole surviving example of Gracie's handwriting from aboard the Titanic, making it an exceptionally rare artifact.
  • The letter includes the prescient line, 'It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her,' and was postmarked from Queenstown, Ireland, on April 11, 1912.
  • Purchased by an anonymous U.S. collector, the letter far exceeded its initial estimate of £60,000, reflecting strong global interest in Titanic memorabilia.
  • Gracie survived the sinking by climbing onto an overturned lifeboat and later authored 'The Truth About the Titanic,' a key historical account of the disaster.