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Henry Aldridge & Son The Devizes Auctioneers
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Lillian Asplund Titanic Collection Press Release Henry Aldridge and Son are honoured to be auctioning the complete collection of the last American Titanic Survivor Miss Lillian Asplund. Miss Asplund passed away on 6th May 2006 at the age of 99. The archive is being sold by direct descent and has never been published or on public display in its entirety before. The artefacts were kept together in Miss Asplund's home and kept in a box where they remained until after her passing. Carl and Selma Asplund immigrated to America in 1891/92 and married in 1896. They had five children: Oscar 13 , Clarence 9, Lillian 5, Carl Edgar 5 and Felix 3. They moved back to Sweden in 1907 due to family commitments, deciding to return to Worcester, Massachusetts in 1912 having booked passage with the White Star Line to get there.
On the night
of the disaster the whole family were gathered and according to Selma
had decided to die together. They were standing by one of the last
lifeboats to leave when suddenly Felix and Lillian were thrown into a
lifeboat. Carl then pushed Selma towards lifeboat number 15, when there
was a cry: "Bring the children’s' mother down!” before Selma understood
what was happening a sailor grabbed her and threw her into the boat. She
just had time to see her husband and the three children rush to the
other side of the Titanic, to find another lifeboat. in the mean time an
unknown man jumped into Selma's boat, he landed awkwardly and in doing
so kicked Selma in the face. He then placed his hand over her mouth
to prevent her from screaming and thus getting the attention from the
sailor in charge. The collection comprises of a number of significant items including a pocket watch which stopped at the exact moment the Titanic sank, one of only a handful of remaining tickets for the Titanic’s maiden voyage and the only example of a forward emigration order for the Titanic thought to exist. Lillian Asplund was a very private person and because of the terrible events she witnessed that cold April night in 1912 rarely spoke about the tragedy which claimed the lives of her father and three brothers. The watch is one of the most iconic lots in the auction as the hands are frozen in time at 2.19am, a moment before Titanic sank beneath the waves and when Carl Asplund entered the frozen waters of the North Atlantic. The collection also contains Carl and Selma Asplund's wedding rings, unpublished family photographs, keys recovered from Carl which may well have held the families savings, two pocket books, important correspondence from the White Star Line and numerous other previously unseen items. Within one of the books is a handwritten note, possibly copied from a publicity flyer extolling the virtues of starting a new life in California, showing Carl was looking at their future plans. "California wants people like you, now is your time to come here. We have green grass and wild flowers at this time of year and all the facilities you can have" One of the most emotional lots in the collection is a letter written by Carl Asplund’s mother and Lillian's Grandmother 16 months after the tragedy In it she states how much her eyes hurt from where she has been in mourning. She writes "My nerves are so weak and my eyes are so poor because I have been crying so much but I hope that my grieving days soon will have an end and I will join the final rest where God has promised to wipe out the tears from all the faces." The collection is without doubt one of the most important of its type to be offered in recent years. It historical and financial value is measured in not only the quality of the material involved but also because Miss Asplund was last survivor with memories of the disaster and also the last American survivor to pass. It is estimated to sell for between £80000-£120000 ($160000-$240000) at auction on April 19th at 1pm GMT. Illustrated colour catalogues are available for £15. Please also see the following websites for further coverage: www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=547450&in_page_id=1770 www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/03/28/secrets-of-the-titanic-survivor-89520-20365275/ www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article969293.ece www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/28/ntitanic128.xml 2007 Auction Review
2007 will be recorded as a very successful chapter for Henry Aldridge and Son the Devizes Auctioneers. January saw a great change for the company with the removal of general sales from the firms calendar. They were replaced with a monthly auction of antiques and collectors items and the saleroom was expanded to make room for the additional volume of items.
This new sales format has been a great success with a number of record prices achieved throughout the year. One of the more interesting collections sold was the Syd Ricketts archive. Mr Ricketts was a well known Wiltshire postcard collector and had one of the best collections in the county amounting to several thousand cards which sold for over £40000. Militaria is another strong suit in Devizes and a good private collection of medals and awards was offered which sold for over £10000 together with a World War Two Distinguished Service Order making £2800.
A number of good quality paintings have been sold through the year these have included a pair of William Henry Hunt oils which sold for £7000, two Norman Hoad oils of Hurricane Fighter planes £1800, a Charles Taylor marine watercolour £2400 and in the most recent December sale a pair of marine scenes in the Dutch School style for £1200. Jewellery and clocks are other areas showing consistently high prices. Successes in 2007 have included a 1.1ct brilliant cut diamond ring £2800, a stunning 2.97ct brilliant cut diamond cross over ring £7000 and a .80ct diamond cluster ring £1800. Clocks also sold well the highlight being a William Johnston of London gilt mantle clock selling for a shade over its top estimate at £4200. The Archibald Irving collection of Pewter was another example of the type of niche collectables now being sold in Devizes. It amounted to 30 lots of assorted pewter which aroused interest from collectors across the globe selling for over £6000. A carved Black Forest cigarette container attracted numerous bids selling for £1600 and a 19th century French Automaton that suffered damage in the Blitz made its owner £1800. A private collection of violins attracted a great deal of attention, several instruments in particular merit a mention. These were an 1892 Collin Mezin which sold for £2800, a Jeffrey Gilbert made in 1882 £1400 and a 14ins violin made by T. Jacklin made £1500. Furniture is the staple diet of most auctioneers and Henry Aldridge and Son are no different. An 18th century Bombe commode needing a degree of tender loving care made £3000, a beautiful 19th century wing back armchair made £1700, a rosewood stick barometer made by F. Underwood of Manchester £1500, a Regency waterfall bookcase £1500 and a compact 19th century Chest of Drawers £1800.
Auctions of antiques and collectors items are being held throughout 2008, please contact Alan Aldridge or Andrew Aldridge BA Hons MRICS for free advice for single or multiple items regardless of distance.
Henry Aldridge are the world leaders in the sale of memorabilia from the Titanic and 2007 has seen prices reach new levels with numerous world record prices achieved. Saturation press coverage for the auctioneers helped make the sales a success with every major weekday newspaper in the UK and numerous publications overseas covering Titanic items sold in Devizes. Buyers from across the planet come to Devizes which has now become the top destination for any serious buyer or seller of Titanic memorabilia. Highlights for the year included £100,000 for Titanic Postman Oscar Woody’s postal keys from the ship, £90,000 for Second Officer David Blair’s Crows Nest Key, £17000 for a silk postcard written onboard the ship which was is a world record price for a postcard sold at auction and £33000 for a ticket for the launch of Titanic in Belfast on May 31st 1911. Letters relating to the Titanic performed consistently well with two written by First Class Passenger Alfred Rowe onboard the ship selling for £28000 and £11000 respectively, a lettercard written by Father Robert Bateman £15000 and a fascinating letter written by Titanic survivor Mabel Lucie Francatelli reaching £22000, far in excess of the valuation of £750 offered by a leading New York auctioneer of Marine Memorobilia.
2008 promises to be a year to remember as the next Titanic auction is on April 19th 2008 and this promises to be just as exciting as those in 2007. The auctioneers are also co-ordinating a major Titanic exhibition from March-November showcasing a unique selection of material including the only known example of a Third Class Menu from April 14th which is valued at £100000. |