Titanic survivor’s lifejacket sells for a record $9,00,000 in UK
The souvenir, believed to be one of only a few surviving Titanic life jackets, belonged to a first-class passenger.
Over 100 years after the RMS Titanic tragedy, a lifejacket worn by a survivor was auctioned for more than $9,00,000.
According to BBC News, the lifejacket, believed to be one of only a few surviving Titanic life jackets, belonged to first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli. It is the only known example of its kind ever to be offered at auction.
The item sold for 6,70,000 pounds, or approximately $9,06,000, including fees, at Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers in Devizes, England, on April 18. An unidentified telephone bidder bought the piece. The final sale price significantly exceeded its estimated value, ranging from $3,39,000 to $4,75,000, the report added.
In 2007, the only Titanic life jacket offered at auction — worn by first class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli — sold at Christies for $118,643.
This morning, Henry Aldridge in England sold it for a whopping $910,300. pic.twitter.com/LrK6xFFIO0
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 18, 2026
Other memorabilia from the auction also drew attention. A seat cushion from one of the Titanic’s lifeboats sold for around $5,27,000 and was purchased by the owners of Titanic museums in Tennessee and Missouri.
Francatelli was 22 when she boarded the Titanic in France while working as a secretary to fashion designer Lady Lucy Duff Gordon and her husband, Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon. She later escaped aboard Lifeboat No 1 after the ship struck an iceberg late on April 14, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York.
The cream-coloured canvas life jacket, fitted with cork-filled sections, had previously been displayed in museums across the United States and Europe. The all-time auction record for Titanic memorabilia, though, is held by a gold pocket watch that sold for nearly $2 million in 2024.
“These record-breaking prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic story, and the respect for the passengers and crew whose stories are immortalised by these items of memorabilia,” Fox News quoted auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
Over 100 years after the RMS Titanic tragedy, a lifejacket worn by a survivor was auctioned for more than $9,00,000.
According to BBC News, the lifejacket, believed to be one of only a few surviving Titanic life jackets, belonged to first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli. It is the only known example of its kind ever to be offered at auction.
The item sold for 6,70,000 pounds, or approximately $9,06,000, including fees, at Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers in Devizes, England, on April 18. An unidentified telephone bidder bought the piece. The final sale price significantly exceeded its estimated value, ranging from $3,39,000 to $4,75,000, the report added.
In 2007, the only Titanic life jacket offered at auction — worn by first class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli — sold at Christies for $118,643.
This morning, Henry Aldridge in England sold it for a whopping $910,300. pic.twitter.com/LrK6xFFIO0
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 18, 2026
Other memorabilia from the auction also drew attention. A seat cushion from one of the Titanic’s lifeboats sold for around $5,27,000 and was purchased by the owners of Titanic museums in Tennessee and Missouri.
Francatelli was 22 when she boarded the Titanic in France while working as a secretary to fashion designer Lady Lucy Duff Gordon and her husband, Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon. She later escaped aboard Lifeboat No 1 after the ship struck an iceberg late on April 14, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York.
The cream-coloured canvas life jacket, fitted with cork-filled sections, had previously been displayed in museums across the United States and Europe. The all-time auction record for Titanic memorabilia, though, is held by a gold pocket watch that sold for nearly $2 million in 2024.
“These record-breaking prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic story, and the respect for the passengers and crew whose stories are immortalised by these items of memorabilia,” Fox News quoted auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
