Titanic Life Jacket Sold for Over $900K at Auction

A life jacket worn by Titanic passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli sold at auction for $906,000. The cream-colored canvas life jacket with cork-filled sections was signed by Francatelli and other survivors from the same lifeboat. It was part of a sale of Titanic memorabilia by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, western England.

The seat cushion from one of the Titanic lifeboats sold for $527,000 to owners of two museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said these record-breaking prices reflect ongoing interest in the Titanic story and respect for its passengers and crew.

In 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg off Newfoundland during its maiden voyage from England to New York, sinking within hours on April 15. Of the 2,200 people aboard, some 1,500 died. The survivors were rescued by the RMS Carpathia.

Francatelli was traveling with fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon and her husband Cosmo Duff Gordon, all first-class passengers who survived in lifeboat No. 1 despite its capacity for 40. They refused spots on a lifeboat when offered, prioritizing younger people’s safety.

In 2025, a collector paid over $2 million for a gold pocket watch given to Isidor Straus by his wife Ida Straus, first-class passengers known for their final act of selflessness aboard the sinking ship.