A Titanic survivor’s life jacket that helped her escape the sinking steamship was auctioned for $906,000 on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
According to the associated press, The life jacket was worn by a first-class passenger named Laura Mabel Francatelli on the ship that sank during its first voyage.
Other Titanic memorabilia was also sold by auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, western England; However, none of the items received as much attention as the flotation device. Several items sold for around $500,000.
The owners of two Titanic museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri, purchased a seat cushion for one of the Titanic’s lifeboats for a whopping $527,000.
After the auction, auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “These record prices illustrate the continued interest in the history of the Titanic and the respect for the passengers and crew whose stories are immortalized in these memorabilia.”
The Titanic was one of the most luxurious ocean liners built to such a high standard that it was marketed as “virtually unsinkable.” However, the ship struck an iceberg during its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912 and sank within hours.
Around 1,500 of the approximately 2,200 passengers died in the tragic incident.
