Bonhams 1793 : [TITANIC] A rare and important ticket to the launching of the R.M.S. Titanic 31st May 1911 3-1/4 x 5-3/8 in. (8.25 x 13.8 cm.)

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15 Apr 2012 13:00 EDT New York
R.M.S. Titanic: 100 Years of Fact & Fiction
Back to auction 19599

[TITANIC] A rare and important ticket to the launching of the R.M.S. Titanic
31st May 1911

printed in black and red, numbered "193" and with the perforated admission stub attached, this unused ticket to the launching of the R.M.S. Titanic would have been presented for admission to watch the ship slide down the ways as she first took to the sea, and then towed to the fitting out berth. The stub printed with: "No. 193/"Titanic"/Launch/To be retained for admittance to Stand." The ticket portion printed with: "No. 193/Launch/OF/White Star Royal Mail Triple-Screw Steamer/"TITANIC"/At BELFAST,/Wednesday, 31st May, 1911 at 12-15p.m./To Be Presented At Gate." Along with the White Star Line burgee printed in red in the upper right corner.
3-1/4 x 5-3/8 in. (8.25 x 13.8 cm.)

Sold for US$ 56,250 inc. premium

Footnotes

Construction of R.M.S. Titanic, funded by the American J.P. Morgan and his International Mercantile Marine Co., began on 31 March 1909. Titanic's hull was launched at 12:13 on 31 May 1911, and her outfitting (completion of her exterior and interior) was not completed until 31 March the following year. This ticket, the only one known to exist with the card still attached, would have admitted the holder to the launching and christening of the ship. In an unusual step away from tradition, White Star Line and Harland & Wolff did not christen the ship, and many believe this was the beginning of the end for the ill fated ship.

Literature:
The Titanic Commutator, Volume 16 - Number 1, 1st Quarter, May-July 1992, pp. 26-28 for a discussion of reproduction launch tickets and illustrating this lot as authentic.

Brinin, John Malcolm and Gaulin, Kenneth, Grand Luxe, Henry Holt and Co., New York, 1988, pg. 59 for an illustration of this lot.

Category: Fine Art / Marine Art

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