Titanic Update: A Survivor, an Auction and a Bidder To Remember

The auction is over. It raised 300,000 pounds, which is about $450,000. Hardly any for her. About $7,500.

Twice a year, an auction firm, Henry Aldridge and Son, conducts an auction of Titanic-related stuff. Millvina Dean's remaining stuff was but one lot in last Saturday's auction.

A key found on the body of Edmund Stone, a steward who used it to try to save mail but which allowed many third-class passengers a route to escape, was auctioned by the family and brought 59,000 pounds, about $90,000, from a private Irish collector.

A flask a man used to give his wife and two daughters some milk, lowering himself into their lifeboat then returning to the deck, as a man would do, brought 37,500 pounds. Two letters from passengers brought about 27,000 pounds each.

A collection owned by Barbara Dainton (West) went for 60,000 pounds. She passed away in October 2007, leaving Millvina Dean the last living survivor.

What about Millvina Dean? Her lot, including the canvas bag mentioned in my prior post, brought about 5,000 pounds, roughly $7,500, which at 3,000 per month for her nursing home, is about a month and a half's worth. The bag itself brought 1,500 pounds, about half a month's nursing home bill.

$7,500 for a 97-year-old trying to stay in her choice of nursing home, out of $450,000 total of Titanic artefacts. I guess the demand just wasn't that big for what she supplied, so the system worked again, huh. Well, apparently the story has brought some private donations as well.

Funny thing, though. The auctioneer said when the man, apparently a London businessman, who remains anonymous, came to pay for the bag, he wouldn't take it and said to give it back to her.

Now there's a real Englishman. Or human being of any description. Also the private donors.