A rare and valuable piece of Titanic history has sold at auction for a record-breaking price: Col. Archibald Gracie’s prophetic letter, which predicted the ship’s demise, has fetched $399,000.
When Col. Archibald Gracie boarded the RMS Titanic in Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, he drafted a letter to a friend that would prove eerily prescient. The letter, which has sold at auction for $399,000, is a rare and valuable piece of Titanic history.
Col.
Archibald Gracie was a British Army officer who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.
He served in the Royal Marines and later became a writer, publishing his experiences on the ill-fated ship.
Gracie's account is notable for its detailed description of the disaster, including the initial impact, the flooding of compartments, and the eventual abandonment of the vessel.
His writing provides a firsthand perspective on one of history's most infamous maritime disasters.
Gracie’s Initial Impression of the Ship
‘It is a fine ship,’ Gracie wrote, ‘but I shall await my journey’s end before I pass judgment on her.’ This statement reflects Gracie’s cautious approach to the supposedly unsinkable vessel. Five days later, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the frigid waters off Newfoundland, killing over 1,500 people.
A Survivor’s Account
Gracie managed to survive the disaster by climbing onto an overturned collapsible lifeboat with around a dozen other men. He went on to write ‘The Truth About the Titanic,’ a personal account of how the tragedy unfolded. According to Gracie, around half the men who reached the lifeboat died from exhaustion or extreme cold.
A Letter from the Past
The letter left the ship when it made a stop in Queenstown, Ireland, before embarking across the Atlantic. The seller’s great-uncle was an acquaintance of Gracie’s, who received the letter at the Waldorf Hotel in London on April 12, 1912 — three days before the ship sank.
A Record-Breaking Sale
The sale of Gracie’s letter has set a record for Titanic memorabilia. The auction house that oversaw the sale believes the note was highly prized due to Gracie’s ‘incredible’ statement about withholding judgment before the ship’s journey ended. The sale is also testament to the public’s continued interest in the famous shipwreck.
