'Prophetic' Letter Written by Titanic Passenger Days Before the Ship Sank Sells for Nearly $400,000 at Auction

Yahoo

27-04-2025

A letter written by a Titanic survivor while onboard the ship has sold for nearly $400,000 at auction
Antique auctioneer Henry Aldridge & Son called the note from Colonel Archibald Gracie "prophetic" — as he wrote that he would "await my journey's end" before he passed judgment on the "fine ship"
An estimated 1,500 people died in the Titanic tragedy in April 1912
A letter written onboard the Titanic just days before the ship sank has sold for nearly $400,000 — far surpassing auction expectations.
Antique auctioneer Henry Aldridge & Son announced the sale earlier this week, stating that the letter — written by Colonel Archibald Gracie while onboard the RMS Titanic in 1912 — fetched £300,000 pounds (roughly $399,000) at auction, surpassing its initial estimate of £60,000 (roughly $79,878.00).
Per the auctioneer's website, the letter from one of the ship's most well-known survivors was "prophetic" — as he wrote it on April 10, 1912, three days before the ship struck an iceberg in the early morning in the North Atlantic Ocean. An estimated 1,500 people died in the tragedy.
In the letter, Gracie wrote to an acquaintance, the grand-uncle of the seller, "It is a fine ship, but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her."
He continued, in what's believed to be the only example of a letter from him on the ship, "The Oceanic is like an old friend and while she does not possess the elaborate style and varied amusement of this big ship, still her seaworthy qualities and yacht-like appearance make me miss her."
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Related: The Titanic: Looking Back at the Ship's Tragic History
Henry Aldridge & Son's website states that on the night of the Titanic sinking, Gracie went to bed early and intended to play squash in the morning. He then woke up to a jolt and the ship making contact with the iceberg before midnight, before he later assisted women and children into lifeboats.
After securing his own escape, Gracie was eventually brought onto the rescue ship Carpathia, before returning to New York City and writing about his experience on the ship in The Truth About the Titanic.
Gracie suffered from hypothermia complications and other injuries in the months to follow, before he died in December 1912 of complications from diabetes. The Truth About the Titanic was published the following year.
The auctioned letter — dated April 10, the day Gracie boarded the ship at Southampton — was written on over four sides and postmarked Queenstown, Ireland, on April 11 and London on April 12. Three days later, the ship sank in the early morning off the coast of Newfoundland while on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
Related: Titanic's Floating Door Sells for Whopping $718,750 at Auction, Beating Indiana Jones' Bullwhip
Ahead of the Henry Aldridge & Son sale, auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said Gracie's letter "is one of the finest of its type known" and has never come to the market before.
"Not only is it written by one of the most important first-class passengers on Titanic, Colonel Archibald Gracie, [but] the letter itself contains the most prophetic line: 'It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her'. Five days later Titanic was at the bottom of the North Atlantic," he said.
The company later confirmed the letter's sale on Instagram, calling it a "fabulous day."
"Multiple records were broken, including the amazing Archibald Gracie letter card written onboard Titanic, selling for a premium inclusive £300,000. Our next Titanic and liner auction in November promises to be another one to remember and we are now accepting entries," Henry Aldridge & Son wrote.
Over the years, other antiques from the ship, such as a gold Tiffany & Co. pocket watch given to a captain, have fetched high prices at auction. Even props from the 1997 Titanic film have brought in big bucks, as just last year, the iconic piece of balsa wood that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet hang onto in the movie's final scenes sold for $718,750.
Read the original article on People