A lifejacket belonging to Titanic survivor Laura Mabel Francatelli has fetched an impressive £670,000 ($900,715) at an auction in England, significantly surpassing its estimated value of £250,000 to £350,000. The auction, conducted by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, saw the rare flotation device sold to an anonymous telephone bidder. Dating back 114 years, this lifejacket is one of the few remaining from the Titanic and is notably the only one worn by a survivor to be auctioned.
The cream-colored canvas lifejacket features 12 cork-filled pockets and is signed by Francatelli and seven other survivors from Lifeboat No. 1. Francatelli, who was 22 at the time, was traveling as a secretary for British fashion designer Lady Lucy Duff Gordon and her husband. After the Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, she boarded Lifeboat No. 1, which controversially launched with only 12 passengers despite having capacity for 40, and did not return to rescue others.
Andrew Aldridge, managing director of the auction house, emphasized the lifejacket’s significance as a rare Titanic artifact. It remained in Francatelli’s family for decades before entering a private collection and has been displayed at notable Titanic museums. The auction also featured other Titanic memorabilia, including a lifeboat seat cushion that sold for about £390,000. Despite not breaking the record for Titanic items, the sale demonstrated the ongoing interest in authentic artifacts related to the tragedy.
