Steve Santini
Member
Personally I found the estimates for some of the lots in the upcoming Christie's sale rather high.
Especially the Marconigrams.
As well I have some concern about the "Titanic" lifejacket on offer.
While the auction title for this does not outright call it a Titanic lifejacket the description certainly implies it is one.
Certainly it is a period 1912 Fossberry lifejacket identical in appearance to those used on Titanic but the chain of custody does not support it was actually retrieved from a victim of the disaster.
Further, the straps have not been cut on it and are all the original length.
On the body recover mission the lifejacket straps had to be cut in order to remove the jackets from the bodies of the victims.
The ice and waterlogged canvas of the straps would have made untying them a near impossibility.
On all of the Titanic lifejackets I have seen that were taken off the bodies of victims the straps have been cut by crews of the recovery ships.
In fact, the only Titanic lifejacket I have seen with intact straps in the one worn by Mrs. Astor and which was removed onboard the Carpathia.
It never got wet and the straps were simply untied.
The auction decription for the lifejacket being sold at Christies also gives no details as to how the jacket in fact was recovered.
Speculation is put forward that it may have washed up on a beach in the Canadian Maritimes (impossible due to the ocean currents where Titanic sank), or that it was recovered by the Mackay Bennett or the Minia.
However, nothing is offered in the way of provenance to support any of these theories.
I sincerely hope that "buyer beware" is firmly in the minds of any potential bidders on this one!
Steve Santini
[Moderator's Note: This message, originally posted to a thread discussing Christie's June 2007 auction, has been moved to this newly-created one for the 2008 auction. MAB]
Especially the Marconigrams.
As well I have some concern about the "Titanic" lifejacket on offer.
While the auction title for this does not outright call it a Titanic lifejacket the description certainly implies it is one.
Certainly it is a period 1912 Fossberry lifejacket identical in appearance to those used on Titanic but the chain of custody does not support it was actually retrieved from a victim of the disaster.
Further, the straps have not been cut on it and are all the original length.
On the body recover mission the lifejacket straps had to be cut in order to remove the jackets from the bodies of the victims.
The ice and waterlogged canvas of the straps would have made untying them a near impossibility.
On all of the Titanic lifejackets I have seen that were taken off the bodies of victims the straps have been cut by crews of the recovery ships.
In fact, the only Titanic lifejacket I have seen with intact straps in the one worn by Mrs. Astor and which was removed onboard the Carpathia.
It never got wet and the straps were simply untied.
The auction decription for the lifejacket being sold at Christies also gives no details as to how the jacket in fact was recovered.
Speculation is put forward that it may have washed up on a beach in the Canadian Maritimes (impossible due to the ocean currents where Titanic sank), or that it was recovered by the Mackay Bennett or the Minia.
However, nothing is offered in the way of provenance to support any of these theories.
I sincerely hope that "buyer beware" is firmly in the minds of any potential bidders on this one!
Steve Santini
[Moderator's Note: This message, originally posted to a thread discussing Christie's June 2007 auction, has been moved to this newly-created one for the 2008 auction. MAB]
