BAKU – A life jacket worn by a survivor of the Titanic disaster has been sold for £670,000 (about USD 905,000), BBC reported.
It is the only Titanic survivor’s life jacket ever sold at auction since the ship sank 114 years ago. The item was sold by Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Devizes, Wiltshire.
The vest belonged to first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli, one of around 700 people who survived the 1912 tragedy. She reportedly used it before boarding a lifeboat.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said he was thrilled with the result, noting the strong global interest in Titanic-related artifacts and stories.
He previously called the item extremely rare, describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” piece for collectors because no similar survivor life jacket has ever appeared at auction in over a century.
The life jacket, which has 12 pockets and shoulder supports, was also signed by Francatelli and other survivors.
It sold far above expectations, surpassing its estimated price of £250,000 to £350,000.
At the same auction, a Titanic lifeboat seat cushion was sold for £390,000 (about USD 527,000). The item was linked to London tea importer Richard William Smith, who died when the Titanic struck an iceberg in 1912.
Smith was among about 1,500 people who perished in the disaster, and his body was never identified.
The cushion was bought by the Titanic Museum Attraction in the United States, where it will be displayed.
The auction coincided with Southampton’s commemoration of the Titanic’s 114th sinking anniversary on April 14.
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