Almost exactly 100 years to the date of the maiden voyage of the Titanic, its trove of artifacts will be sold to the highest bidder.
On April 11, RMS Titanic, a division of Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions, will auction off the complete collection of more than 5,500 relics in the first sale of objects recovered from the wreckage site of the doomed voyager.
The assortment of treasures will be sold at Guernsey's Auction House in New York City as a single collection. The buyer must agree to certain conditions to ensure it will be properly maintained and remain on public display.
The last appraisal of the inventory, which ranges from hair pins and pipes to a 17-ton portion of the ship’s hull, valued the collectibles at $189 million.
The “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” has touring and permanent display space internationally and nationally and is currently situated in Las Vegas; Curitiba, Brazil; Singapore; and Edmonton and Regina, Canada. Plans call for the exhibit to travel to San Diego, Detroit and Kansas City this year. The show was stationed at Atlanta Civic Center in 2006.
18
Number of years RMS Titanic, a division of Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions, has served as steward of Titanic’s assets and its wreck site.
5,500
Number of artifacts recovered from Titanic wreck site included in collection.
$189 million
2007 appraisal of the collection of artifacts.
8
Number of missions by RMS Titanic to retrieve artifacts from the wreck site.
25 million
Number of visitors worldwide who have viewed a sampling of artifacts in the “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.”
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