AUCTION OF THE MONTH
Titanic, White Star and Transport Memorabilia Sale, Henry Aldridge & Son
Twice a year in April and October, thousands of people around the world eagerly await the catalogue for the upcoming sale of a small Wiltshire auction house. The reason? They’re looking out for precious pieces either from or connected to RMS Titanic, the luxury passenger liner that sank on 14th-15th April 1912 after hitting an iceberg.
Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes has been selling Titanic memorabilia for 25 years, including the Wallace Hartley violin for over £1m in 2013, and this sale on 18th April includes several star pieces related to the doomed ship’s history. The auction features 350 lots and has objects associated with other liners, as well as the
Titanic, with estimates varying from £50 to £20,000.
One key lot is a Montague Black advertising poster dated 1911. ‘It’s an incredible object,’ says auctioneer Andrew Aldridge. ‘It is about 50in high with the four-funnel liner coming right at you. There are only a handful of these out there. What I particularly like about it is that at the bottom it says “For freight and passage apply to Thos. Cook & Son”. These posters were given to travel agents to advertise these steamers. We have an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 on it.’
An interesting archive collection will also be sold. It once belonged to Samuel Smith, a joiner on the SS Minia, which recovered bodies from the water. The crew picked up flotsam as well as wreck wood and one piece from Smith’s collection is a large oak frame made from the wood. ‘It’s a massive piece of wood,’ says Andrew. ‘They salvaged all manner of things, including deckchairs.’ He’s expecting it to sell for over £20,000.
Another collection consigned to Andrew and his team, which will be sold in two parts (in the April sale and in October), once belonged to Sir Harold Lowe, Titanic fifth officer and the only crewman in a lifeboat who went back to the stricken vessel to rescue more people. ‘We are honoured to be selling his collection,’ says Andrew. ‘His grandson passed away last year and the pieces are coming to auction for the first time.’
Andrew says there will be something for everyone but one of the most interesting is a telescope given to Lowe by Mrs Henry Harris, a surviving first-class passenger, with the inscription ‘To the real hero of the Titanic’. It is expected to make £15,000 to £20,000. Among the lots is also a watercolour of Titanic, painted by Lowe. ‘He was a really capable artist. It’s a poignant piece,’ Andrew adds. Henry Aldridge & Son, Unit 1 Bath Road Business Centre, Bath Road, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1XA. 01380 729199; henry-aldridge.co.uk