Henry Aldridge & Son

The Devizes Auctioneers

Titanic Sale - September 2002

September 14^th saw the second auction of Titanic and White Star Line Memorabilia by Henry Aldridge & Son of 2002. This sale followed the stunning success of the previous sale in April and not only equalled but also surpassed the prices achieved earlier in the year. The auctioneers noted very strong bidding from UK Collectors as well as overseas buyers, which appears to be very much an upward trend at Henry Aldridge & Son’s Maritime sales.

One of the most important entries is an eight-page letter from First Class Titanic Passenger Stanley May. It is rare for letters written on board to survive, but several factors made this letter even more unusual. The most obvious is that it is eight pages long and goes into great depth regarding general life on board the ship and the incident when Titanic was leaving Southampton, and almost collided with the Ocean Liner New York. One further aspect of this letter that merits special attention is Mr May comments on the Captain of the Titanic E.J Smith being the same person who was in charge of the Olympic, Titanic’s sister when she collided with a British Warship HMS Hawke, several months earlier. Several phone lines contested the letter from Australia, Japan, UK and USA together with a private collector in the room. The bidding stopped at £35000, a New World record for a letter written on board Titanic by a survivor, but also by a man who left a ship at Queenstown.

High quality on board memorabilia from Titanic is attracting considerable sums at present. James Williamson was a postal clerk on Titanic. He was from Dublin and after his father died, to gain additional monies to support his family he took a position with The TransAtlantic Post Office in Southampton. The extra money that he recieved was sent back to his mother in Dublin. When the Titanic foundered the postal clerks, stayed at their posts until the last to protect the mail and sadly all were lost. Before he left Southampton he promised a friends daughter he would send her a souvenir of Titanic’s maiden voyage in exchange for a kiss. Unfortunately he was never able to collect his part of the bargain.  Although in a heavily worn condition, folded and torn in places the card sold to a private collector from North America for £12500 against an estimate of £10000-£12000.

Two of the most emotional letters Henry Aldridge & Son have ever sold were written by Second Class Passenger Charlotte Collyer. Harvey and Charlotte Collyer were looking to go to America to start a new life with their daughter Marjorie. Charlotte had been diagnosed with TB and advised to move to a warmer and drier climate. They sold everything they owned including their small shop and bought a second class ticket on board the Titanic. Because their daughter was scared of the sea, they chose Titanic as they were told it was the safest ship afloat. The first letter written on board is full of expectation and hope. The second written from New York, days after being rescued shows her utter despair. This young woman lost everything; her husband, her worldly possessions and most significantly her hopes and dreams. All she is left with, is the nightdress she was stood in and a White Star Line blanket. But for her daughter would have almost certainly committed suicide. Against bidding from a private collector from London and 2 other collectors in Boston and New York, the letters sold for £20000 and £18500 respectively. The new owner was especially delighted to purchase the letters as several months previously he had acquired further Titanic ephemera relating to the Collyers from a sale in the Midlands for only £3500.

Another major lot sold was two recently discovered Board of Trade affidavits that have never before been published and describe in graphic detail the events surrounding the disaster. These depositions were taken on the 29^th April, within hours of George Pelham and Eustace Snow, two trimmers on board the ship arriving back in Southampton. Although in poor condition the rarity of these documents sent their price to a mid estimate £3000 each.

A previously unknown archive of letters written by the chief designer of Titanic and nephew of Lord Pirrie Thomas Andrews relating to the construction of her sister ship Olympic showed that even an association with Titanic can effect the value of an item. These personal documents gave an insight into the mindset of Thomas Andrews and his father Thomas Andrews Senior, a prominent politician at the time of The Home Rule debate in Northern Ireland. Written over a two-year period they show the highs and lows of the construction of the first of the Olympic Class series of liners. One particularly poignant lot is a letter, written less than a month after the disaster by Andrews’s father to the recipient discussing the heroic manner in which his son died. This archive was discovered in Northern Ireland and sold for a top estimate of £10000.

Another record price achieved was for an onboard Titanic postcard. A standard Tucks Oilette of Titanic which was mailed by Second Class Passenger Percy Bailey on the 11^th April 1912. Against fierce bidding from two overseas collectors the card sold for £14000.

HMHS Britannic was the third sister of the Olympic Class fleet. The younger sister of Titanic, Britannic was due to set sail on her maiden voyage in 1915 but the onset of World War One saw her converted to a hospital ship. A number of lots of panneling and architrave from the Bridge Deck of the vessel sold for £6000

John Jacob Astor was one of the richest men on Titanic and the world at the time of the disaster. A telegram that was sent by his wife Madeleine on the rescue ship Carpathia confirming that John was not saved sold for £10500, another record for a single telegram from the ship.

Henry Aldridge & Son’s next auction of Titanic and White Star memorabilia will be held in Southampton on April 11^th 2003 and entries consigned so far promise to make this sale every bit as special as September 14^th.