Incredible Titanic archive will cross the block Oct. 21 in New York A historically significant archive of material pertaining to the doomed ocean liner Titanic will be offered on the first day of a three-day estate sale planned for Oct. 21-23 by Philip Weiss Auctions.
News-Antique.com - Sep 21,2011 - (OCEANSIDE, N.Y.) – A historically significant, museum-quality archive of material pertaining to the doomed ocean liner the RMS Titanic will be offered on the first day of a three-day multi-estate sale planned for Oct. 21-23 by Philip Weiss Auctions. The event will be held in the firm’s gallery facility, located at #1 Neil Court in Oceanside, N.Y., starting at 4 p.m. (EST).
“It’s rare when anything Titanic-related comes on the market, and when it does it’s often a minor item,” said Philip Weiss of Philip Weiss Auctions, “but this is an incredible archive that came to us directly from a descendant of John and Nelle Pillsbury Snyder, who were rescued when the Titanic sank on the morning of April 15, 1912. This is sure to generate great interest.”
Included in the archive is a letter written on Titanic stationery (and dated April 10, five days before the sinking); another letter, dated April 18, that talks about the confusion from news sources and the White Star Line (which built the Titanic) at the time of the sinking; and original photos taken from the rescue ship the Carpathia, showing lifeboats headed towards survivors.
Also included will be a group of possibly the only photos in existence of the steamship Californian, shown sailing toward the Carpathia in a belated rescue effort. An inquiry at the time revealed the Californian was actually closer to the Titanic than the Carpathia, and even saw the rocket flares indicating a ship in distress, but for a variety of reasons it was slow to respond.
The archive will also boast a wealth of newspaper clippings from the time, numerous family mementos, Titanic history and collectibles. The Oct. 21 session will also have a unique Mexican War/Civil War trunk belonging to Maj. William Schoonover, of the 176th PA Infantry, complete with identified daguerreotypes, books, photos and other items kept by his descendants.
Also offered will be a rare World War II German SS Totenkopf H. Himmler honor ring, engraved and dated (Sept. 11, 1941), with a certificate of authenticity; and important percussion pistols and shotguns, including a pair of unfired John Dickson dueling/target pistols made in Scotland in 1897 and once belonging to the eccentric British firearms collector Charles Gordon.
Rounding out the Oct. 21 will be a collection of Smith & Wesson handguns (three are still in their original Gutta Percha cases); an original 1948 Harry S. Truman Press Club award; maritime and nautical material from the Bushnell estate; World War I and World War II helmets, goggles and posters and other lots pertaining to transportation, aviation, maritime and militaria.
Sandwich day – Saturday, Oct. 22, starting at 10 a.m. – will feature sports items, stamps and coins, rare books, autographs and maps. Highlights will include a trove of 1930s and ‘40s baseball and non-sports cards, jockey Willie Shoemaker’s first signed contract as an apprentice, a single-signed Roberto Clemente baseball; and a baseball signed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Other sports-related offerings will include a contemporary Yankee
