When cashing in on the Titanic turns to farce!

Judgement Day

So, everybody's at it, from those selling seriously interesting items of ephemera to those trying to palm off absolute rubbish. When the hysteria has died down some people are going to be left with serious negative equity - in my opinion anyway.

A case in point is the item below which comes up for sale at a Dublin saleroom shortly - I won't name them to save their reputation. This small ticket, clearly in its final death throes, carries an outrageous estimate and the 'lucky' buyer will do well to get it home before it falls apart. A bell, a piece of crockery, menu etc. from the Titanic will always have a serious value but something like this - rotten and not even marked White Star Line - is utterly worthless. What does anybody else think?

iolar

How about auctioning a bucket of Atlantic seawater? "This is the actual water in which the Titanic sailed"

dmcronin

I'd buy it, but not for 5 grand!!!

The shameless recovery and exhibition of artifacts from the wreck I do have a problem with though.

coylemj

That's the left side of the ticket, obviously a VIP ticket as it admitted the bearer to the stand. The basic tickets issued to workers simply said 'Admit Bearer' and were not numbered.

This fully preserved unbroken example went for USD 56,000...

Judgement Day

While I wouldn't spend $56,000 on the above - it's in almost mint condition whereas my example looks like the dog ate it as well as being incomplete.

coylemj

Judgement Day wrote: »

While I wouldn't spend $56,000 on the above - it's in almost mint condition whereas my example looks like the dog ate it as well as being incomplete.

I suspect the example I posted was never used as it appears the main part should have been torn off at the first gate and it was intended that the bearer should hold on to the stub so that he could find his seat numbered 193 in the stand. Or possibly he was so important that nobody dared to ask him to produce a ticket when he turned up!

Workers were invited to the launch but were not paid for the day so ironically the ones that stayed at home and held on to their tickets had something to leave to their grandchildren while those who attended the launch probably surrendered the ticket at the gate and had nothing to show for the day!

Of course almost a year elapsed between the launch and the sinking so there wouldn't have been any reason to hold on to the tickets, it's a wonder that any of them survived, possibly some workers or their children collected them like stamps. Even after the sinking I doubt if anyone could have envisaged the public fascination with the Titanic that would build up over the years, particularly when you recall that the Great War and the sinking of the Lusitania happened in the following few years, events that should have pushed the Titanic into the pages of forgotten history.

For example, on May 29, 1914, two years after the sinking of the Titanic, an ocean liner called the Empress of Ireland sank with the loss of 1,012 lives when she was struck by a Norwegian coal boat in the St. Lawrence river in Canada but the event is all but forgotten.

Fuzzy Clam

Judgement Day wrote: »

While I wouldn't spend $56,000 on the above - it's in almost mint condition whereas my example looks like the dog ate it as well as being incomplete.

But if you owned it and could get 5 grand for it, would you sell?:)

Something is only worth what a buyer is prepared to pay for it.

Judgement Day

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

But if you owned it and could get 5 grand for it, would you sell?:)

Something is only worth what a buyer is prepared to pay for it.

It was always thus but in the case of the rotten scrap of paper above? Why would anybody pay for something that won't last for much longer no matter what is done with it. It's completely beyond salvation. I collect maritime items and wouldn't pay more than €10 for it - unless of course I knew of some fool prepared to take it off my hands for a lot more. I will post the sale price if I can get it from the auctioneer. The sale is not until this weekend.

Blade

Judgement Day wrote: »

I will post the sale price if I can get it from the auctioneer. The sale is not until this weekend.

Please do. Come on, it's worth more than a tenner though!

Judgement Day

Spotted this tonight while on a quest for repro White Star crockery -for she who must still be obeyed. While the description made it quite clear that it had been dug from a dump near Liverpool rather than a restaurant on the Titanic, there was still considerable interest as can be seen by the selling price. There were lots of pictures of the unfortunate cup which is missing its handle and is held together by sellotape. £147.00 !!! :eek:

Judgement Day

Whyte's Sale on Saturday (21st April) saw a fair quantity of Titanic and White Star related items sell well above their pre-sale estimates. This tea cup and saucer (well faded) were estimated at €150-200 and were eventually knocked down for an incredible €750+ 20% commission! No sellotape in evidence here.



Catalogue with prices achieved here: http://whytes.ie/i8.asp?Auction=20120421&Lot=1

Anybody with spare cash might be interested in the unsold lots still available here: http://www.whytes.ie/

bobster453

Whytes expected this item to go for €20-30000 and were surprised it didnt..I wouldnt be
http://www.whytes.ie/images/20120421/172.jpg