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Titanic band leader's letter sells for $154,974
A letter written on board the Titanic by the leader of 'the band that played on' has sold in the US
Paul Fraser Collectibles, Friday 27 April 2012
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A letter from the leader of Titanic's band has sold for $154,974 at an auction in the US, comfortably within its $100,000-$200,000 estimate.
The letter was written on Titanic notepaper by band leader Wallace Hartley to his parents in England on April 10, 1912, five days before the ship sank in the Atlantic.
"Just a line to say we have got away all right," he writes.
"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.
"We have a fine band & the boys seem very nice."
Survivors of the tragedy are said to have heard the band playing Nearer, My God, to Thee, before being swept into the sea.
Wallace Hartley died five days after writing the letter
Hartley's body was recovered several weeks after the tragedy. More than 40,000 people lined the route of his cortege.
A gold locket found among the effects of man servant Edward Herbert, which contained a photograph of his wife, sold for $87,337 at the same sale.
A deck chair from the ship - one of only seven known to still exist - made $65,351.
The auction was one of several recent high profile sales of Titanic memorabilia, designed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking.
A two-page handwritten letter written aboard the ship made $40,700 at a New York auction in March.
The strong sales are confirmation of the power that anniversaries have in boosting the collectibles markets, a fact that savvy investors are well aware of.
We are still awaiting news on a single lot of 5,500 Titanic artefacts, worth an estimated $189m, which closed to bidders on April 2, so be sure to check back regularly.
Recent and related articles
· Titanic passenger's letter sells for $40,700 in New York | 22 March 2012
· RMS Titanic rare manuscript by crewman Charles Morgan sells in UK | 12 March 2012
· 'Shipwrecked' Chateau Latour from an 1870s liner surfaces in Cheshire auction | 8 March 2012
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Images: RR Auction
