T
Timothy Trower
Guest
That gentleman is Kevin Saucier, and he has a good pedigree! In fact, he is a member of the ET message board, and checked in as recently as today.
Arriving very late in this conversation, a couple of thoughts on coal and whether it is authentic. It all comes down to trust. I purchased mine at an exhibition in Canada put on by those who mounted the expedition to the wreck, retrieved the coal and signed the certificate. It is smaller than a marble and is in the little black "Titanic" box along with the certificate. It sits in the display case of my 1/350 model of the ship built in the early 1980s. Given this provenance, I have pretty much absolute trust that I purchased the real item.I wonder if someone can explain the worrying frequency with which "Titanic coal" is being sold on the internet (particularly on Ebay). Surely these aren't genuine?! I see that the majority come with a cute little presentation box and the obligatory certificate of authenticity. Correct me if I'm wrong, but surely this type of sale is fresh pickings for con men. Coal is ten a penny, so how do you know you're getting the genuine article??
Also, I am no moral philosopher but there are surely ethical considerations about owning what is essentially a piece of a gravesite. I had no idea that recovered artifacts were even allowed to be sold to just anybody. It beggars belief.
I guess what I really want to know is
a). The likelihood of the coal being genuine (Not that I would buy it!)
b). Your thoughts on the ethics of selling wreck artifacts
They'll be selling genuine Titanic corpses next.
Thankyou for your time.
Jamie