Titanic survivor's life jacket sells for $906,000 at auction

A Titanic survivor’s life jacket which helped her escape the sinking steamship has been auctioned for $906,000 on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

According to the Associated Press, the life jacket was worn by a first-class female passenger named Laura Mabel Francatelli on the vessel that sank during its very first journey.

Other Titanic memorabilia was also sold by Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers in Devizes, Western England; however, none of the items gained as much attention as the flotation device did. Several items were sold for around $500,000.

Owners of two Titanic museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri bought a seat cushion of one of the Titanic lifeboats for a whopping $527,000.

Following the auction, the auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “These record-breaking prices illustrate the continuing interest in the Titanic story, and the respect for the passengers and crew whose stories are immortalized by these items of memorabilia.”

Titanic was one of the most luxurious ocean liners built to such a high standard that it was marketed as “practically unsinkable”. However, the vessel hit an iceberg during its maiden journey on April 15, 1912, and sank within hours.

Around 1,500 out of the roughly 2,200 passengers died in the tragic incident.