Titanic's violin fetches £54,000 at auction. (Note: It's the violin played by Wallace Hartley, the bandmaster during the final moments of the Titanic before it sank.)
In a sale that made headlines, a violin used in the iconic Titanic movie went under the hammer for a whopping £54,000. Guess who reported this blockbuster news? The Guardian, of course! This historical musical instrument was part of an auction dedicated to Titanic memorabilia, held in the county of Wiltshire. Now, for those history buffs out there, you might recall that this unsinkable ship bit the dust on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during its maiden voyage. Fast forward to 1997, when James Cameron's movie about the disaster, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, took the world by storm.
But, this violin wasn't just any old instrument. It played a key role in the film, soundtracking the scene where the orchestra played 'Nearer, My God, to Thee', in a feeble attempt to calm passengers as the ship sank. Our violinist for the occasion was Jonathan Evans-Jones, who portrayed Wallace Hartley, the orchestra leader. In the scene, before his character exits the sinking ship, he says, "Gentlemen, it has been an honor to play with you tonight."
Fast forward to 2013, when the violin was auctioned off again, this time to a private collector. Jump ahead a few years, and the collector decided to put the violin back up for auction in Wiltshire. Another intriguing lot at the auction was a letter penned by Colonel Archibald Gracie, a survivor of the tragic shipwreck. That letter fetched a cool £30,000.
Fast forward again, this time to 2023, and another piece of Titanic history found itself up for grabs at a UK auction - a first-class dinner menu! Yes, it's the same Titanic, the same first-class dining, and the same tragic end. Thismenu, sporting signs of water damage, dated April 11, 1912, and went for a nice £84,000. That day, passengers were served a lavish feast of oysters, beef, lamb, and duck. Three days later, you already know what happened.
While there's no specific information about the sale price of another first-class dinner menu from the Titanic, if you're curious, you might want to dig deeper into auction house records or historical sale data. Keep your eyes peeled, history enthusiasts! After all, you never know what other Titanic treasures might surface!
The violin used in the iconic 'Titanic' movie, played by Jonathan Evans-Jones, who portrayed Wallace Hartley, the orchestra leader, sold for £54,000 in a Wiltshire auction. This auction also featured a letter penned by Colonel Archibald Gracie, a Titanic survivor, which fetched £30,000. Fast forward to 2023, another piece of Titanic history, a first-class dinner menu, sold for £84,000 at a UK auction. Movies and TV fans might be excited to know that these sales are part of the growing entertainment market dedicated to Titanic memorabilia.
