Lion Heart Autographs Announces Auction of Rare Titanic Artifacts and Documents
New York, New York—(August 31, 2015)—Lion Heart Autographs, for nearly forty years, an internationally recognized dealer of autographs and manuscripts focusing on art, history, literature, music and science, has announced an extraordinary auction of three very rare and previously unknown artifacts recovered from survivors of the RMS Titanic’s infamous Lifeboat No. 1 known the world over as “The Millionaire’s Boat,” or “The Money Boat.” Lifeboat No. 1 was lowered from the Titanic with just five wealthy passengers and seven crew members, who quickly rowed away without trying to rescue anyone else. The Rare Titanic Artifacts from Lifeboat No. 1 & Other Historic Autographs Auction will take place September 30, 2015 through www.invaluable.com and www.eBayliveauctions.com online bidding platforms with other bidding opportunities on www.auctionzip.com, France’s www.lefigaro.fr and China’s www.epailive.com. The auction will have no buyer’s premium. Never before has Titanic material of this caliber been offered exclusively on the internet, with September 1, 2015 marking the 30-year anniversary of the discovery of the RMS Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.
The largest and most opulent passenger ship of its time, the RMS Titanic, now more famous for its tragic end than its majesty, created a worldwide sensation when it departed on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England on April 11, 1912. The ship’s owner, The White Star Line, promised its wealthy clientele (including John Jacob Astor IV, one of the world’s richest men), an extravagantly luxurious trip across the Atlantic Ocean. On April 14, 1912, a moonless evening with calm seas, the dazzlingly elegant voyage turned into a night of terror after the ship collided with a massive iceberg that ripped a 300 foot gash along the vessel’s starboard side. The catastrophic loss of more than 1500 men, women and children became the most famous maritime disaster of all time and the subject of several award-winning films, dozens of documentaries and tens of thousands of books, songs and poems. Video story here, please click link: https://vimeo.com/136624112
None of the stories told by any of the 705 survivors who escaped death is more riveting than that of Lifeboat No.1. It was investigated by the British government, examined by historians, and reviled by both the public and the families of those lost at sea. Lion Heart Autographs will sell at auction three very rare and never-before-offered artifacts from Lifeboat No.1, at the Rare Titanic Artifacts from Lifeboat No. 1 & Other Historic Autographs Auction on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 beginning at 12 noon EST.
Among the spectacularly rare Titanic memorabilia will be a letter and envelope written by Lifeboat No. 1 survivor Mabel Francatelli (1880-1967) on New York’s Plaza Hotel stationery six months after the disaster (Estimate: $4,000-$6,000). Francatelli was a First Class passenger who survived the sinking of the Titanic by boarding Lifeboat No.1 with her employer, fashion designer Lucy Duff-Gordon (1863-1935), her husband, wealthy Scottish nobleman Cosmo Duff-Gordon (1862-1931) and two other passengers, including Abraham Lincoln Salomon (1868-1959), the letter’s recipient. Cosmo Duff-Gordon who, with his wife, were the only passengers interrogated by the British Inquest into the ship’s loss, had been rumored to have bribed the seven crewmen to row away from the crippled Titanic, leaving more than 1500 to drown in the icy water. Francatelli reports:
“We do hope you have now quite recovered from the terrible experience. I am afraid our nerves are still bad, as we had such trouble & anxiety added to our already awful experience by the very unjust inquiry when we arrived in London”
Also for sale is one of only four known printed tickets from the Titanic’s Turkish Baths weighing chair (Estimate $7,500-$10,000). This ticket belonging to Salomon, a well-to-do New York City businessman and survivor aboard Lifeboat No. 1, would record a person’s weight when seated in a special custom designed English chair located in the Titanic’s Turkish Baths’ cooling room.
The ticket, perhaps the only scrap of paper Salomon had at hand and likely filled in by him, bears the penciled names of three of the five other First Class passengers aboard the lifeboat on that horrible night: Miss Mabel Francatelli, Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon and his wife Lucy Duff-Gordon.
The third, and by far the most spectacular artifact to be offered for sale is an original Menu from the last luncheon served aboard the Titanic (Estimate $50,000-$70,000) formerly owned by Salomon, who miraculously saved this menu (and the weighing ticket) before escaping the sinking ship and climbing aboard Lifeboat No.1. It is signed on the back in pencil by yet another First Class passenger, New Yorker, Isaac Gerald Frauenthal (1868-1932) who had likely eaten lunch with Salomon earlier that day, before jumping into Lifeboat No.5 hours later.
Lion Heart Autographs will also offer a collection of historical autographs written by some of the world’s most celebrated personalities including world leaders, authors, artists and scientists. Chronicling important events in the lives of Ernest Hemingway, CIA double agent Aldrich Ames, George Washington, Albert Einstein, “Woody” Guthrie and others, the no buyer’s premium auction will offer eager collectors an opportunity to purchase more than 100 items auctioned during the Rare Titanic Artifacts from Lifeboat No. 1 & Other Historic Autographs Auction.
Some of the highlights include a single lot of 170+ letters written from prison by CIA traitor Aldrich Ames to his sister Nancy (Estimate: $10,000-$12,000), a letter by famous automaker Frederick Duesenberg (Estimate: $3,000-$3,500), a typed letter by Albert Einstein about the difficulty of studying mathematics (Estimate: $4,000-$6,000), an edict from Columbus’ patrons Ferdinand and Isabella outlawing playing cards and dice throughout their Iberian kingdom (Estimate: $10,000-$12,000), one of the last letters by F. Scott Fitzgerald about his financial destitution just one month before he died (Estimate: $8,000-$10,000), a letter including text of a folksong by “Woody” Guthrie (Estimate: $4,000-$6,000) and an outstanding letter about marlin fishing and The Old Man and The Sea signed by Ernest Hemingway (Estimate: $5,000-$6,000).
“The more than 100 autographs for sale at our ‘no buyer’s premium’ auction represent a cross-section of history that most people could never imagine owning and holding in their hands. What could be more thrilling than bidding and winning an artifact that survived from the Titanic or a piece of paper bearing George Washington’s beautifully crafted signature?” notes Lion Heart Autographs’ founder and owner David Lowenherz.
Other sale highlights include a signed photograph of Pope Paul VI (Estimate: $1,500-$1,800), an autograph quotation from Uncle Tom’s Cabin signed by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Estimate: $6,000-$8,000) and George Washington’s signature (Estimate: $4,500-$5,500). More than 100 lots will be offered during the auction.
For bidding registration and catalog click here: http://www.invaluable.com/auction-house/lion-heart-autographs-etuqbv0pdk
The auction will take place online, partnering with Boston-based www.Invaluable.com, one of the world’s leading online auction platforms and www.eBayliveauctions.com, both of which offer live online bidding that permits collectors and dealers from around the world to bid in real-time auctions.
Lion Heart Autographs is located at 216 East 45th Street, Suite 1100, New York. NY, 10017. Telephone: 212-779-7050; Fax: 212-779-7066; Email: lionheart@lionheartinc.com; website: www.lionheartautographs.com
REGISTERING TO BID AND CATALOG INFORMATION
http://www.invaluable.com/auction-house/lion-heart-autographs-etuqbv0pdk
ABOUT INVALUABLE
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ABOUT LION HEART AUTOGRAPHS
Lion Heart Autographs is an internationally recognized dealer of autographs and manuscripts specializing in art, history, literature, music and science. Founded in 1978, Lion Heart Autographs has earned an unmatched global reputation for acquiring and placing the most rare and interesting autographs and manuscripts, while carefully authenticating and describing each piece’s historical significance. Clients range from Harvard, Yale and the U.S. Library of Congress to private collectors, investors and corporations around the globe. Lion Heart Autographs is located at 216 East 45th Street in New York City and is operated by David Lowenherz, its founder and president. For more information, please visit www.lionheartautographs.com
