The drama surrounding the Titanic still concerns the world today, more than 111 years after the sinking. Relics that survived the collapse are rare. Once they appear, they are auctioned off for large sums of money. There was correspondingly great interest in an auction that was now taking place in New York. Because the auction house Henry Aldridge
The map gives an insight into the last day on the luxury liner and shows what was served to the passengers at lunchtime. It was an international menu presented to the first class. Specialties from around the world included oysters, beef tournedos, lamb and mallards. Beer from Munich was served. The card does show signs of water exposure, but that didn’t deter bidders. In the end it went to an anonymous bidder for 66,000 pounds (75,300 euros). The item had previously been estimated at between £50,000 and £70,000. Another menu was sold in 2012 for 90,000 euros.
The back of the menu is signed by Isaac Gerald Frauenthal. It is reported that the card was taken by the American Abraham Lincoln Salomon. He is said to have been one of the passengers who were able to escape on the so-called “millionaires’ boat”. According to reports, it could have held 40 people, but only had twelve first class passengers and seven crew members on board. Rumor has it that a passenger bribed the crew to quickly get away from the sinking ship.
Two previously unknown artifacts that a passenger took with him on one of the lifeboats also went under the hammer: an entry ticket to a Turkish bath, which changed hands for the equivalent of 9,800 euros, and a letter from Mabel Francatelli, which was auctioned for 6,686 euros. In the letter, months after the accident, Francatelli complained about the disrespectful treatment of her employers, who are said to have bribed the crew of the “money boat”. They were later exonerated. A first class blanket, believed to have been carried by a survivor in the lifeboat and estimated at £70,000 to £100,000, sold for £76,000. As a rule, the auction house adds fees.
The “Titanic” left Southampton in southern England on April 10, 1912 with more than 2,200 people on board for its maiden voyage to New York. After just a few days, the luxury liner, which was considered unsinkable, hit an iceberg – and sank. More than 1,500 people died.
Sources: Henry Aldridge
