R.M.S. Titanic’s Plan to Sell Salvaged Artifacts at Auction Faces Ongoing Opposition
R.M.S. Titanic, the company holding exclusive sales rights to artifacts recovered from the Titanic wreck, is seeking approval to auction 100 objects salvaged in 1987, according to newly unsealed court documents reported by the Washington Post. The proposed sale—still requiring authorization from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—would include personal belongings, currency, kitchen items, and décor, and the objects would also be shown on a four-city global tour. US and French government entities have previously objected to the company’s attempts to sell items from the wreck, and a U.S. District Court judge in Norfolk, Virginia, declined the company’s request to keep the latest court filings sealed, making them public. Items cited in the documents include a bronze cherub said to have come from the ship’s grand staircase, a necklace of gold nuggets, and a heart-shaped pendant, though the company has not publicly specified exactly which artifacts would be included in the auction.
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This story was covered in Restitution Reckonings and Censorship Flashpoints