- Auction Features Titanic Coal, Lusitania Watches, and Mary Rose Rope.
- Historic Shipwreck Memorabilia, Including Titanic Artifacts, Up for Sale.
- Maritime Archaeology Treasures from Shipwreck Museum Hit the Auction Block.
More than a century has passed since the Titanic tragically sank in April 1912, but now a piece of history from that famous disaster is available for collections. Lay‘s Auctioneers will start auctioning Titanic coal and other thousands of shipwreck artefacts beginning November 6. All these are from the Shipwreck Treasure Museum collection in Cornwall, England, reports Smithsonian.
Shipwreck Treasure Museum Collection for Sale
Even though the museum was started more than two decades ago, when diver and shipwreck expert Richard Larn and his wife, Bridget, started The Shipwreck Treasure Museum in 1976, the collection inside has been outstanding. It has recently had a businessman owner, Tim Smit. Having been put up for sale earlier this year and still without a buyer, many items from the museum are now being auctioned.
Unique Items from Richard Larn’s Personal Archive
“Many of the objects at Charlestown are much more exciting than they first appear,” writes Lay’s Auctioneers in a blog post about the two sales. “We constantly found that once we started to look closely and learn the historical background, we became entranced by the coin, or weapon or whatever relic it was, encased in marine concretion that we held in our hands.”
Featured Artifacts
In 1982, archaeologists raised the shipwreck from the English Channel. Today, the wreck is the centrepiece of the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, England. Learn helped raise the Mary Rose and was given the piece of rope as a thank-you gift.
“Virtually nothing that comes from the Mary Rose ever comes on to the market,” David Lay, who owns the auction house, tells the Guardian’s Donna Ferguson. “It’s just so unusual.”
Additional Artifacts and Memorabilia
Many artefacts were from the ship, but the list was very long and full of objects only inspired by them: a replica of Kate Winslet’s blue heart-shaped necklace from the 1997 film Titanic is here, along with paintings, photographs, ship models, newspapers, and much more.
New Institutional Homes for Some Artifacts
Most of the artefacts are already acquired by institutions, according to Lay’s Auctioneers. Individual collectors will still be able to make offers on some of the lots remaining.
According to David Lay, the collection is one of the most significant not only in maritime archaeology but in the world. “There are so many wonderful, rare discoveries,” he said.
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Source: Smithsonian
