A biscuit that was aboard one of the lifeboats on the Titanic, and survived, has sold at auction for £15,000. A collector from Greece purchased the biscuit. The auction was held at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire.
The cracker, made from flour and water, was stored in the survival kit of a lifeboat when the ship went down. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said this was “the world’s most valuable biscuit”. He further stated that this was one of the most “collectible and iconic” Titanic items to be sold at auction.
The biscuit was found by James and Mabel Fenwick, passengers on board the SS Carpathia, which went to the aid of survivors from the Titanic. They kept it as a souvenir in an envelope with a note, “Pilot biscuit from Titanic lifeboat April 1912”.
Among other Titanic items to be sold at the auction and fetching a good price was a photograph showing the iceberg that sank the ill-fated ship, and a “loving cup” presented to the captain of the Carpathia.
This cup was given to Captain Arthur Rostron by survivor Molly Brown, and was paid for by donations from wealthy passengers after the disaster. The picture was taken by the chief steward of steamer the Prinz Adalbert. Ironically, he was at the time unaware of the tragedy that had occurred the previous day from the same iceberg. It comes with a previously unpublished statement from the photographer, who describes seeing scrapings of red paint on the side.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said the world is still very much interested about the Titanic disaster. “The interest in the items reflected the worldwide nature of Titanic memorabilia. They captured collectors’ imagination”.
Of course the biscuit is not eatable as it is more than 100 years old. The luxury liner sank in the Atlantic in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people. RMS Titanic had been four days into a week-long Transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York when the supposedly “unsinkable” ship struck the iceberg on April 14th 1912.
