“This is a fine ship & there ought to be plenty of money on her”

Wallace Hartley letter written onboard Titanic sold for a record price.

Henry Aldridge and Son, the world’s leading auctioneers of Titanic memorabilia held their latest auction of Titanic collectables to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the loss of the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic on April 20th 2013. RMS Titanic left Southampton on April 10th 1912 on the start of a journey which ended in tragedy in the cold North Atlantic on April 14th 1912 with the loss of over 1500 lives.

The principal lots in the auction had travelled to Belfast City Hall together with the famous Wallace Hartley violin and had been viewed by over 16000 people from all over the world in only four days. In addition to this the sale had been on view at Henry Aldridge and Son’s Devizes auction rooms in the week preceding the auction with visitors from as far afield as Canada and Australia viewing them.

Wallace Hartley was the bandmaster on the Titanic, He is perhaps the most identifiable and iconic figure of the disaster, remembered along with his seven other band members for playing on until the very last moments. Indeed, they arguably saved many lives by helping to keep the passengers calm and, thus, avoiding panic.

The band and Hartley in particular, have been depicted as the ship's heroes in virtually every genre including postcards, song sheets, books, stage and films-as well as history. None of the band survived. Incredibly this letter was mentioned in a press interview with Wallace Harleys mother Elizabeth in the Dewsbury News on April 27th 1912. The letter was written on adjoining sheets of on-board Titanic stationery with company watermark and hand dated by Hartley on April 10th 1912.

It bears the red embossed White Star Line house burgee. Hartley writes to his parents on the first day of sailing, in full:

Just a line to say we have got away all right. It's been a bit of a rush but I am just getting a little settled. This is a fine ship & there ought to be plenty of money on her. I've missed coming home very much & it would have been nice to have seen you all if only for an hour or two, but I couldn't manage it. We have a fine band & the boys seem very nice. I have had to buy some linen & I sent my washing home today by post. I shall probably arrive home on the Sunday morning. We are due here on the Saturday. I'm glad mother's foot is better."

We are unaware of any other surviving letter written by Hartley on board the ship. Clearly, this letter which mentions the band and eludes to the wealth on-board the ship (implying that some of it would make its way to the band in the form of gratuities). A number of phone bidders from around the world tried to acquire this item and it was sold to a collector from the United States for over £93000.

Hartley was born in June 1878 making him 33 years old at the time of the disaster.As a musician, he travelled as a Second Class passenger. He did not survive the sinking and his body was recovered by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett and assigned body No. 224. His body was returned to his home town of Colne, Lancashire where Hartley received a very large funeral. The first part of the Wallace Hartley/Maria Robinson archive also went under the hammer alongside the other items in the sale. The collection was spread between buyers from the US, Canada and Great Britain. Items sold included items recovered from Mr Hartley’s body selling for over £25000 to items from his fiancée Miss Robinson such as a gold Colne memorial medal for £600 and a gold locket showing Wallace for £2200.

Captain Edward J. Smith was the Master of the Titanic and any material relating to his in incredibly rare. Henry Aldridge were privileged to be auctioning the private collection of his only daughter Helen. It included a letter written in 1906 onboard the Baltic from Smith, the rarity of this items lies in the fact that it shows a completely different side to then man known as the “Millionaires Captain”.

“My Dear Daughter

I could not catch a little bunny to send you in my letter! I send you a card by this little bird. I hope mother + you + Gladys are well. I shall soon be home (D.V. Your loving Daddy)”

Captain Smith had sketched a small song bird with an envelope on the letter. This letter represents a unique insight into Captain Smith as a family man rather than his public persona. It was with its original envelope handwritten by Smith and addressed to Miss H.M. Smith, a private collector from the UK bought the letter for £8000. Also included in the archive are personal items and a collection of previously unseen photographs of Smith, these sold for over £4000.

Other lots in the auction include a rare promotional poster of Titanic £5500, a rare photograph of Titanic as she left Queenstown £4000 and a first class door and surround from Titanic’s sister ship £5000.

Henry Aldridge and Son are now accepting entries for our October 19th Titanic and Transport auction, items already consigned include a very rare Montague Black promotional poster of Titanic estimated at £30000-£40000. Please visit www.henry-aldridge.com for further details.

"This is a fine ship & there ought to be plenty of money on her"

Henry Aldridge and Son, the world’s leading auctioneers of Titanic memorabilia are holding an auction of Titanic collectables to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the loss of the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic on April 20th 2013. RMS Titanic left Southampton on April 10th 1912 on the start of a journey which ended in tragedy in the cold North Atlantic on April 14th 1912 with the loss of over 1500 lives.

Wallace Hartley was the bandmaster on the Titanic, He is perhaps the most identifiable and iconic figure of the disaster, remembered along with his seven other band members for playing on until the very last moments. Indeed, they arguably saved many lives by helping to keep the passengers calm and, thus, avoiding panic. The band and Hartley in particular, have been depicted as the ship's heroes in virtually every genre including postcards, song sheets, books, stage and films-as well as history. None of the band survived. Incredibly this onboard letter is mentioned in a press interview with Wallace Harleys mother Elizabeth in the Dewsbury News on April 27th 1912. The letter is written on adjoining sheets of on-board Titanic stationery with company watermark is hand dated by Hartley on April 10th 1912. It bears the red embossed White Star Line house burgee. Hartley writes to his parents on the first day of sailing, in full:

Tribal Shield Causes a Stir in Devizes

Henry Aldridge and Son’s first antiques and collectables sale of 2013 was on Saturday February 16th. A packed house saw over 750 lots going on offer ranging from traditional collecting genres such as fine art and antiques to the more eclectic such as a tribal shield from Borneo. After research by the auctioneers it was established it was a Dayak tribal example. In the past, the Dayak’s were feared for their ancient tradition of headhunting practices and this shield was decorated with human hair!! It dated from the 1900’s and attracted interest from across the globe with buyers from Australia and the US going to head to head to those in the UK. A collector from London was the high bidder at over £4200. A good private collection of silver was sold with the leading lot being a set of Canadian flatware selling for £4000. Postcards and militaria again proved popular with a number of lots selling for above estimate such as a Queen Elizabeth II dress sword for £400. The collectables section again proved a strong suit for the auctioneers with a battered edition of Gulliver’s Travels selling for £700 and a 17th century Charles Bloud Azimuth dial that was rescued by the auctioneers from a box of miscellanea selling for £2300. The latter proved to be a very pleasant surprise for the owners. Another gem that was brought into the popular valuation days was an Italian Renaissance style painting on Agate. Having been thoroughly researched by the auctioneers it was established the work was painted by an artist in the circle of Francisco Vanni from Sienna, it sold for £1500. Another notable lot that sold in the collectors section was a Japanese Meiji period Ivory Bijin which made £1800.

Those interested in paintings were spoilt for choice with an excellent selection of from noted artists such as Charles Cundall who exhibited over 60 times in the Royal Academy, Stephen Hogley, Hester Maitland Radford, George Sheridan Knowles, W.J. Rowden and William Sidney Morrish. Highlights included the Sidney Morrish selling for £1000 and a Russian oil painting by Pooshnikova making £850.

Henry Aldridge will be holding their next free valuation day on the March 21st with entries now being accepted for what promises to be an exciting Antiques and Collectables sale on the 23rd March. Please visit www.henry-aldridge.com or contact Andrew Aldridge BA Hons MRICS Chartered Arts and Antiques Surveyor at andrew@henryaldridge.com for further details.

Transatlantic Interest for Final Auction of 2012

Henry Aldridge and Son’s final antiques and collectables sale of 2012 is on Saturday December 15th and promises something for every taste. Traditional collecting genres are well catered with examples of 15th century and later Chinese ceramics including armorial platters and two large early salt glaze Chinese urns as well collections of advertising memorabilia, militaria, ephemera, ceramics, antiques and textiles.

With the price of Gold and Silver riding high, there is a strong section of Gold, Silver, Coins and Jewellery with numerous choice pieces that would make wonderful Christmas gifts. Examples include a fine silver tea set by celebrated makers Eames and Barnard and a boxed set of gold Britannia £50, £25 and £10 coins.

Highlights of the advertising material being sold number an unusual 1930s "Facchino" plaster display figure of a young girl holding an ice cream cone estimated at £700-£1000 and an extremely rare very large Guinness Victoria Davidson "Encore" girl, bottle & harp lithographic poster circa 1955-58 estimated at £400-£700. A lifetime’s collection of approximately 700 military cap badges dating from the 1800’s onwards has already attracted attention from collectors all over the UK as have a group of signed limited edition Robert Taylor military prints featuring the autographs of a number of highly decorated wartime pilots from the RAF, Luftwaffe and USAF.

After the success of a section dedicated to vintage fashion in the November 10th sale, another array is going under the hammer from leading designers such as Ossie Clarke and Bus Stop, both major names in London during the Swinging Sixties.

A little bit of show business glamour will come to Devizes in shape of an archive from Peter Sellers, one of the finest British entertainers of the past fifty years. It comprises of three letters and photographs to his aunt Edith relating to the award of his CBE and the birth of his daughter Victoria "Britt and I are thrilled with Victoria and very proud of her". The collection has already brought interest from clients in the United States.

Henry Aldridge and Son would like to thank our customers for their patronage this year and wish them a Happy Christmas and Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Henry Aldridge will be holding their first free valuation day of 2013 on the 17th January. Please visit www.henry-aldridge.com for further details.

Titanic World Records Broken

One of the Rarest Menus in Existence Breaks Record to sell for over £64000

Henry Aldridge and Son, the world’s leading auctioneers of Titanic memorabilia held their final auction of Titanic and Transport memorabilia of 2012 on November 24th. It is 100 years since the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage on April 15th 1912 with the loss of over 1500 lives.

More Records Fall in Devizes Auction Sale

Henry Aldridge and Son’s Transport auction of the 24th November brought the glamour of Motorsport to Devizes. The first part of the auction was based around motor racing and general transport memorabilia with the second dedicated to Titanic and the White Star line, a report on the latter part of the auction will follow. The sale started with a collection of posters showing two of the most famous endurance races in the world the Le Mans 24 Hour and the 12 Hours of Sebring, which is held in Florida, USA. Past winners of both races read like a who’s who of motor sport with greats such as Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorne and Carroll Shelby driving iconic cars such as the Ford GT40, Porsche 917 and Ferrari 250.

Collectors from all over the country gathered in the room with several phone bidders from both France and the United States looking to own a piece of history. The first part of the collection took the form over 40 posters dating from 1936 and included iconic images by Michel Beligond such as the 1959 24 Heures du Mans Won by Roy Salvadori & Caroll Shelby driving an Aston Martin DBR1 which made over £1000 and a 1962 24 Le Mans poster showing race winners Phil Hill and O. Gendebien in their #6 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Spyder which sold to an American collector for £780. Other notable items in the collection numbered a 1963 Le Mans poster by Guy Leygnac showing a red Ferrari Dino at high speed with a whirl-wind clock in the background for £500. The earliest poster in the sale was an example from 1936 promoting the British Empire Race at Donnington which was won Richard Seaman in a Maserati 8CM, the race was noteworthy in part due to the fact that it was the first time this race had been held away from Brooklands which although in used condition still made £500.

Another 100 or so lots were dedicated directly to the growing field of Transport memorabilia. As the world’s leading auctioneers of Titanic and liner memorabilia and a tailor made database of over 10000 collectors, it seemed a natural progression to introduce a new element to the world famous Titanic auctions. This fresh client base resulted in some excellent prices which included over £1400 for a catalogue for the disposal auction of Sir Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s largest ship the Great Eastern from a collector from France and an 18th century backstaff again selling to another collector from France for £1000. Henry Aldridge are now accepting entries for their April 2013 Transport auction.

Henry Aldridge and Son’s are also now accepting consignments for their final auction of 2012, an Antiques, Collectables and Advertising sale on December 15th. The next free antiques valuation day is on Thursday 13th December when you are invited to bring along anything of an antique or collectables nature for a free appraisal, please feel free to  telephone 01380 729199 for further details.