One of a handful of deckchairs recovered from the Titanic could fetch up to £80,000 at auction in Wiltshire. The Nantucket wooden chair was on the first class promenade deck of the luxury liner when it sank in 1912. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said it was “one of the rarest types of Titanic collectable” which came with extensive paperwork to prove its provenance. The chair, which is too delicate to sit on but which has been carefully preserved, will be sold on 18 April.
‘In-depth documentation’ The deckchair was picked up by the crew of the Mackay-Bennett which was sent to recover the bodies of the victims after the Titanic sank. According to the ship’s log records, it was one of six or seven taken back to port in Halifax, Nova Scotia Mr Aldridge said it was probably given to French cable ship captain Julien Lemarteleur by a crew member of the Mackay-Bennett, along with the piece of cork from a Titanic lifejacket.
“The in-depth provenance documentation confirms the chain of custody of the deck chair through from Capt Lemarteleur in 1912 through to the present day,” he said. The current owner, an English Titanic collector, has kept it for 15 years. About 1,500 people died when the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg on April 14 during its maiden voyage to New York from Southampton. The auction is taking place at Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes.
The Titanic deckchair was sold today the 18th of April ’15 for the sum of £100,000 to an unnamed UK based collector.
Titanic Deckchair for sale
Joseph Bell, Chief Engineer on the R.M.S. Titanic 