A rusty locker key from the doomed Titanic sells at auction for £85,000
The key was used to open the life jacket cupboard which saved lives as the liner sank on its maiden voyage in 1912
A RARE key which opened a life jacket cupboard on board the Titanic has been sold at auction for £85,000.
It was one of more than 250 items from the perished ship sold in Devizes in Wiltshire and was one of the biggest involving Titanic memorabilia.
The key was used by 23-year-old Sidney Sedunary from Southampton who was working on board the ship as a steward and it helped save lives as the liner sank on its maiden voyage in 1912.
A spokesperson for the auctioneer confirmed the item has been sold to a UK bidder.
The price reflected its rarity and the fact its provenance to April 15th 1912 could be traced.
A letter written by the ship’s assistant surgeon Dr John Simpson saying goodbye old man was sold for £37,000.
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Another letter from the highest ranking survivor crew member Second Officer Charles Lightoller telling of Dr Simpsons fate sold for £34,000.
And an archive of letters written by Titanics Chief Officer and second in command Henry Wilde sold for £22,000.
The highlight of that archive is the final letter he wrote from the Olympic before he left for the Titanic in which he expresses his disappointment.
And he had misgivings about the liner in a letter to his sister, he said: "I still don't like this ship , I have a queer feeling about it."
The auction house said there had been global interest in the sale with bids coming in from USA, China, India and Australia.