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Henry Aldridge & Son The Devizes Auctioneers
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World Records Tumble at Historic Devizes Titanic Sale
September 15th 2001 saw Henry Aldridge & Son the specialist Titanic and White Star Line Auctioneers of Devizes, Wiltshire, England hold their latest auction of specialist Titanic and White Star Line memorabilia. Following on from the record sale of April this year which saw a Titanic menu sell for a world record £18500 the auctioneers knew that is was quite an act that they had to follow.
The lots on offer had attracted world-wide publicity with features on television in both America and the UK, Radio coverage from as far away as Johannesburg with newspaper headlines made in Australia as well as full page national coverage in the UK. The four lots that caused the greatest excitement were The Nantucket Steamer Chair and small fragment of cork from a Titanic lifejacket, both of which was recovered from wreck site Titanic by the Mackay Bennett in 1912. A lettercard written on board Titanic by Father Francis Browne and a pin cushion purchased from the barbers shop whilst on his journey from Southampton to Queenstown on Titanic.
The chair itself had a very interesting history since Titanic Baker Charles Joughin threw upto 50 steamer chairs into the water to act as floatation aids for those who were unable to get into the few lifeboats. It was bought in a small New England saleroom for $4000 in 1999 provenanced by the fact that it came from Titanic via a French Canadian sea captain and the cable ship Bennett.
The history was researched extensively and the chair was authenticated by two world authorities on the Titanic in the USA and Canada. It was then consigned to Henry Aldridge & Son, one of the leading auctioneers in the sale of RMS Titanic memorabilia in the world.
The chair was the subject of intense interest before and during the sale and when the hammer came down, the new owner, a private collector from Wiltshire had paid £33500 for the privilege of owning a piece of maritime history, a world record for a steamer chair and also the highest price paid for a single item in the UK and Europe from Titanic.
A fragment of Cork from a Titanic life jacket owned by the same Captain, some three inches square sold for the a top estimate £3000. The pair of lots from Father Francis Browne, a Jesuit priest again were keenly contested. Five phone lines with potential buyers from all over the world lined up to bid for the letter and pincushion. The same gentleman from North America purchased the letter for £19000 and also the pincushion for £19000, an astounding price of £38000 for the pair. Both lots have remained together since their days-onboard Titanic and will now remain so. Henry Aldridge & Son arranged for these two artefacts to go on exhibition in the Cobh Heritage Museum for a five-week period prior to their sale, in which approximately 27000 people visited the museum to view them.
Further lots relating to the Titanic and White Star Line went under the hammer, with five carbon duplicate notes written by Titanic designer Thomas Andrews on board her sister Olympic realising £4200 and a rare publicity brochure for Titanic and Olympic was bought by a collector for £2300.
Henry Aldridge & Son's next auction of Titanic and White Star Line memorabilia is scheduled for April 2002 at the British Titanic Society Convention in Southampton with a number of rare onboard items already consigned. Entries are now invited for this sale. |
