Letter written on board the Titanic before it sank sells for record £300,000

A letter penned by one of the most renowned survivors Titanic The artwork has fetched a record-breaking £300,000 at the auction.

First-class traveler Colonel Archibald Gracie authored "The Truth About the Titanic," detailing his account of the disaster that occurred on April 15, 1912, an event claiming around 1,500 souls.

The letter card is dated April 10, the day he boarded, and is postmarked Queenstown 3.45pm April 11 and London April 12.

The message read: 'She is indeed an excellent vessel, yet I will reserve my final assessment until the conclusion of my voyage.'

The historical artifact fetched five times the anticipated price of £60,000 at Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, on April 26th this year.

The auction house stated this was the most expensive sum ever attained for a letter penned aboard the Titanic.

Messages from 'those who match Gracie's profile' seldom, if at all, reach the marketplace, and this particular piece has never previously been put up for sale, it noted.

The seller's great-uncle, who knew Gracie, got the note at the Waldorf Hotel in London.

It spanned across multiple pages and went on to say, “The Oceanic feels like an old companion, and although she lacks the sophisticated amenities and numerous attractions of this large vessel, her seaworthy attributes and yacht-like elegance evoke a sense of longing.”

'It was extremely generous of you to provide me with such a warm farewell, filled with the best wishes for your prosperity and joy, Archibald Gracie.'

The colonel 'spent much of the journey escorting several unattended women,' which included a woman and three sisters who made it through, according to the record.

On April 14, he spent time playing squash and took a dip in the Titanic’s swimming pool prior to going to church and mingling with others.

At around 11.40pm he was jolted awake and discovered the ship’s engines were not moving.

He assisted women and kids in boarding the lifeboats and brought them blankets as the vessel submerged beneath the waves.

Gracie succeeded in clambering aboard an upturned foldable boat together with several dozen other men.

Surrounded by swimmers, those on board paddled away out of fear that the boat might capsize.

The colonel subsequently penned: 'Happily, I can state that not once did I overhear any criticism from a swimmer due to a denial of help.'

One rejection was met with the robust voice of a strong man who said, 'Alright gentlemen, wish you all the best and may God be with you,' as he recounted.

He additionally mentioned that over fifty percent of the men who initially made it onto the lifeboat perished from fatigue or freezing temperatures and fell off the overturned hull throughout the night.

Henry Aldridge and Son stated that "The Truth About The Titanic" is 'one of the most comprehensive narratives of the occurrences that took place that night'.

The auctioneers added: ‘It is impossible to overstate the rarity of this lot, it is written by one of the highest profile survivors, with excellent content and on the rarest of mediums a lettercard.

'A genuinely remarkable artifact fit for an outstanding museum.'

The $300,000 letter sale included taxes.

Following the sale, they commented: "The unprecedented prices and international involvement from collectors underscore the persistent fascination with the Titanic globally. The artifacts tell the tales of those men, women, and children, keeping their memories alive through these possessions."

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