The Titanic centenary has come and gone, but the auctions linger on. One of the largest is an online sale at RR Auction, in which 180 items will be offered. The lot attracting the highest bids is a letter written by the ship’s bandleader, Wallace Hartley, who earned his place in legend for playing on as the ship went down. With 28 bids so far and two days until the April 26th close of the auction, the tally for the letter stands at $79,524.Another lot generating lively bidder interest is a deck chair from the ocean liner, one of only 7 known to exist. Bidding stands at $54,009 for the chair, which comes with a letter of authenticity from Titanic expert and author, Steve Santini. The next most popular item is a locket belonging to the valet of George Widener. a wealthy Philadelphian who owned the Ritz Carlton. The locket, for which $40,741 has been bid to date, contains photographs of the wife and daughter of Edward Herbert Keeping , who perished along with his employer and Widener’s son.
Titanic Band Leader’s Letter At Auction
April 24, 2012
$212,500 For 18th Century Flag Found In Trunk
April 18, 2013Inherited trunks should be examined promptly. That would seem to be the lesson learned by the descendant of a Pennsylvania textile worker and decorator named Michael Patrick Patton (1870-1943). When he finally got around to assessing the value of an old flag in his great-grandfather’s trunk, he learned that it was a rare 13-star example from the 18th century. Yesterday it sold at Freeman’s Auctioneers in Virginia for $212,5000, right in between its $175,000-$250,000 estimate.
Read more...
See The Movie, Buy Robinson’s Glove, $1m
April 16, 2013This online auction couldn’t come at a better time for the Robinson family, putting up Jackie’s World Series, game-worn glove just as his biographical movie, “42,” is released. No question the glove was used—hard and long. Steiner Sports Auctions says it was found in an office Robinson once rented. It was authenticated by photo matching. High estimate is $1m.
Read more...
Faulkner’s Nobel Medal For Sale
March 28, 2013After years of writing in obscurity William Faulkner rose to prominence as one of the pre-eminent writers of the 20th Century, capped by the award of a Nobel medal in 1949. At Sotheby’s in June, his family is selling the medal along with a trove of manuscripts, unpublished letters he wrote to his wife from Hollywood, even a handwritten draft of the speech he gave accepting the Nobel.
Read more...Contributors
Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
