In pictures: Titanic violin may fetch record auction price
- Published
The violin that was played by the band leader as the Titanic was sinking in 1912 has gone on public display before it is sold at auction over the weekend.
Described as the Holy Grail of Titanic memorabilia, the German-made instrument was played by Wallace Hartley from Colne in Lancashire who died along with 1,500 others as the ship went down on 14 April.
Mr Hartley's body was recovered from the water about 10 days after the ship sank, but the violin was not listed among the inventory of items found with him.
It is claimed the violin survived in a leather case, strapped to Mr Hartley's body, which floated upright in his cork and linen lifejacket.
A music portfolio containing sets of water-stained sheet music including 'Meet me tonight in Dreamland' and 'You and I Cupid' were also found in the leather case.
A diary entry by his fiancée, Maria Robinson, said the violin was saved from the water in 1912 and returned to her.
Following Ms Robinson's death in 1939, the violin was given to her local Salvation Army citadel and was later passed onto the current owner's mother in the early 1940s.
Auctioneers, Henry Aldridge & Son from Wiltshire, spent seven years authenticating the instrument - even using CT scans to reveal its inner composition.
Now the violin is to be auctioned with a reserve price of £300,000 which, if it sells, will set a world record for a single item from the Titanic.
- Published16 October 2013