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A life jacket worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a survivor of the Titanic disaster, has recently been sold at auction for £670,000. This particular life jacket is notable as the only one from the Titanic to have ever appeared at auction since the ship sank 114 years ago. The auction took place at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire.
Francatelli, a first-class passenger, was among the approximately 700 individuals who survived the tragic sinking of the Titanic in 1912. She used this life vest as she boarded a lifeboat during the disaster. The flotation device itself is equipped with 12 pockets, shoulder rests, and side straps, and it was signed by Francatelli and other survivors. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge expressed his excitement over the sale, remarking on the sustained fascination with the Titanic and its story, calling it “literally a once in a lifetime opportunity for collectors.”
The life jacket far exceeded pre-auction estimates, which had predicted a selling price in the range of £250,000 to £350,000. In a related auction, a lifeboat cushion from the Titanic also sold, reaching a price of £390,000. This cushion originally belonged to a friend of Richard William Smith, a London tea importer who perished in the sinking. Smith was en route to meet another tea importer in Brooklyn, New York, but his body was never found after the disaster claimed the lives of about 1,500 people.
The lifeboat cushion was purchased by the Titanic Museum Attraction, which has locations in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. The museum plans to display the item for public exhibition. This auction coincided with the 114th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy, which was commemorated on April 14 with a memorial held in Southampton
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