Titanic poster not so rare

Sir, – I read in a newspaper report a couple of weeks ago that one of the rarest Titanic posters in existence was to be auctioned.

The poster advertises the return voyage from New York to Southampton that would have taken place on April 20 1912 had the liner not struck an iceberg and sank in the north Atlantic on the night of April 15.

Due to the tremendous loss of life, Cunard and travel companies destroyed any posters they had advertising the return voyage out of respect for the 1,503 lives that were lost in the disaster.

Hence, there are thought to be hardly any left in existence.

This particular Titanic poster was auctioned on October 20 and sold to a private collector for £62,000.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I visited the exhibition, Ocean Liners, Speed & Style, at the V&A Dundee on Sunday.

In the first room of exhibits I came face to face with the exact same original Titanic poster advertising the return voyage from New York to Southampton on April 20 1912.

It transpires that there are at least two of these posters in existence, and one of them is currently hanging on the wall of the V&A, Dundee.

Now there’s a surprise.

Iain Williams.

18 Market Street, Edinburgh.