Life jacket worn by Titanic survivor to be sold in 'truly incredible' first-of-its-kind auction

Pop Culture NewsLife jacket worn by Titanic survivor to be sold in 'truly incredible' first-of-its-kind auctionJust days after the 114th anniversary of the Titanic disaster, a U.K. auction house is selling a life jacket worn by one of the ship’s survivors.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00The RMS Titanic.Print Collector / Heritage Images via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 16, 2026, 4:06 PM EDTBy Francie EbertA life jacket worn by a survivor of the Titanic is going on sale Saturday, a first-of-its kind auction over 114 years after the ocean liner sank in the most notorious maritime disaster in history.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The U.K. auction house Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd says the extraordinarily unique artifact is estimated to sell for between £250,000 ($339,000) and £350,000 ($474,000).The life jacket was worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, who was traveling in first class on the doomed luxury liner. According to the auction house’s listing, Francatelli was a secretary to fashion designer Lucy Duff Gordon, who was famous for her dress designs in popular London, Paris, and New York salons. Francatelli was on the Titanic with Duff Gordon and her husband, Cosmo Duff Gordon, as they traveled to Chicago.At the time of the ship’s sinking on April 15, 1912, the Gordons and Francatelli deliberately transferred boats to stay together during the chaotic evacuation. Of the 2,240 people on board the R.M.S. Titanic, over 1,500 died in the disaster.A life jacket worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli on the Titanic.Henry Adlridge & Son Ltd. Francatelli later signed the life jacket, along with other survivors who were on the same boat.Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd is the leading auction house for selling Titanic memorabilia, and the company always has an auction around the anniversary.But Andrew Aldridge, managing director of Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd., told NBC News on T...