RMS Titanic

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Apr 20 2012

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RMS Titanic

Autographs

By Stephen Goldsmith

Banknotes

Historical objects often strike chords that resonate within

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the hearts of collectors. This is especially true of objects
that relate to the 1912 sinking of RMS Titanic, arguablyBooks

the most compelling maritime disaster of all time.

Coins

At Spink, three extraordinary Titanic-related items have

Medalsrecently come to light. The first relates to the early part oftheTitanic'sstory,conveying

theexcitement

andoptimism that surrounded the debut of world's largest
and most luxurious moving object. The second reminds
us that Titanic was more than just a single purpose

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passenger ship, and the third chronicles in real time thesudden and tragic end of the great ocean liner for those
who were wealthy enough to have had access to the mostArchive

advanced mass communication technology of that era.

2010
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In December of 1911, five months before Titanic waslaunched, there was a widespread feeling of excitement
and optimism relating to the great ship. White Star Linesbegan to print and distribute plans of the First Class

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RMS Titanic

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accommodations. These room plans silently, but very
effectively, convey the promise of world class luxury
aboard what was then considered to be a virtually"unsinkable" ship. Photographs of staterooms and mapsof Deck A through F are illustrated. A safe and enjoyablecrossing seems to be a certainty, but for many, the act of
selecting a cabin from deck plans like this one proved tobe the equivalent of signing their own death warrant.

As postal historians know, many ocean liners were morethan just ships ferrying people from destination todestination, they acted as transportation for the mail. In
fact, "RMS" stands for "Royal Mail Steamer". The stampand cover illustrated were not actually aboard the Titanic,
but they should have been. In March of 1912, "TITANIC"
was hand stamped on the front, indicating which vessel
the stamp and cover were to travel on. The "TITANIC"
stamp was probably applied in transit in Paris. The stamp
and cover were then transferred to Cherbourg where they
were to have been taken by the Titanic. Due tounforeseen

complications

andbuilding

delays,themaiden voyage of the great ship was moved from March
20 to April 10. Rather than hold back the mail, the stamp
and cover were placed on to an alternative ship, and they
arrived safely at their destination

On April 10, 1912, Titanic departed South Hampton,England commencing its maiden voyage. She made ascheduled stop at Cherbourg, France, and then proceeded
to Queenstown, Ireland. On the evening of April 14, she
was on her way to making a record breaking run acrossthe Atlantic, steaming along at 22 ½ knots.
The wind was light, and the sea was calm. The moonlessnight was clear and cold. In response to iceberg warnings,
lookouts were posted forward, and maintained a constantwatch. Suddenly, a large object loomed ahead in thedarkness. The lookouts rang a bell, and contacted thebridge by phone, reporting an iceberg dead ahead. The

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Chief Officer gave the order to turn Titanic to port, and toback the engines. Slowly and majestically Titanic started
to turn, but the starboard side of the ship grazed themassive mountain of floating ice, resulting in a woundthat would soon prove fatal.

Most of us have seen and heard Herbert Morrison's
dramatic 1937 broadcast of the Hindenburg disaster, orwatched Walter Cronkite's tearful televised report of thedeath of President Kennedy. In 1912, news travelled in an
entirely different manner.

Titanic had a powerful wireless radio on board, and herradio operators transmitted the news of her sinking toother ships. They relayed the news elsewhere. Broadcast
radio was not available to the general public in 1912, andmost people got the news of the sinking through the nextmorning's newspaper. There were some people whoreceived the news almost as it happened, from ticker tapemachines in their offices and homes. Fortunately, one
individual recognized the importance of the Titanic
sinking, and he saved a reel of ticker tape printed on that
historic day. The tape begins with the terse and chillingwords ""11.45 AND THE TITANIC WENT DOWN." Theremainder of the tape records the aftermath.

None of us can actually go back in time, but we can alladmire, and sometimes even get the chance to purchaseremarkable objects that have the power to make the pastcome alive for us. This is, perhaps, the very best part of
the Spink auction experience.

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RMS Titanic

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