A life jacket worn by a Titanic survivor will go up for sale this weekend in a rare auction described as a “once in a generation” opportunity, according to CNN.
The vest is expected to sell for between 250,000 pounds ($339,000) and 350,000 pounds ($474,000) and is the only one belonging to a survivor of the 1912 tragedy to come to auction, according to British house Henry Aldridge and Son.
The piece was worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger on the famous ship, which sank 114 years ago, the News writes.
When the RMS Titanic set sail on April 10, 1912, she was the largest passenger ship in service and was considered “unsinkable”. Just four days later, the maiden voyage turned into an international tragedy when the ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11.40pm on 14 April. The ship, which sank in less than three hours, did not have enough lifeboats for the approximately 2,220 people on board. Only about 700 survived.
Francatelli was the secretary of fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon and was traveling to Chicago with her and her husband, Cosmo Duff Gordon. All three survived after they managed to get into lifeboat number one.
Signed by Francatelli and other survivors rescued in the same boat, the beige vest has 12 canvas pockets filled with cork, as well as shoulder pads and side straps, according to the description on the auction house's website.
It is part of a wider auction of Titanic and White Star collectables being held this weekend by Henry Aldridge and Son.
Andrew Aldridge, managing director of the auction house, said it was “one of the most emblematic” items ever offered for sale from the shipwreck.
“Simply put, this lifejacket represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for collectors; it is the only example from a Titanic survivor ever offered at auction”he said in an email to CNN on Thursday.
“Although the Titanic sank 114 years ago, every man, woman and child on board had a story to tell, so essentially we have over 2,200 chapters, and today we present those stories through these collectibles. The lifejacket is without a doubt one of the most iconic Titanic items ever to be auctioned.” he added.
According to Aldridge, the vest is being sold by a person who “decided that it is time to hand over the baton to another collector”.
It was previously on display at Titanic Belfast, the museum located on the site where the ship was built, as well as the world's largest Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
