Earlier this month, UK auction website Warwick & Warwick announced that a postcard written aboard the Titanic just three days before it struck the iceberg will go up for bidding on July 18. The unnerving message reads, "I wish you were here, it is a lovely boat and it would do you good. Am just going on deck."
The postcard was written by Sarah Daniels, a maid working the maiden voyage of the massive, doomed ship, who actually survived the tragedy. She sent the postcard, bearing its now-eerie message, to one "Miss Green of Birmingham," and it has survived in the Green family for generations. Now, experts expect the item to reach $20,000 to $26,000 in the upcoming auction.
A Rare Relic
According to auctioneer and postcard expert Colin Such, this is a very important postcard because "not many postcards have been reported being mailed from the Titanic."
"The last time we sold one I believe was 2002, and we are the country’s leading auctioneers of postcards," said Colin.
Of course, a large part of the reason the postcard is expected to be so valuable is because the story of the Titanic's tragedy is so iconic. It's known around the world. "It will appeal to collectors of Titanic memorabilia – of which there are plenty in this country and even more in the USA," said Colin.
The Sad Story of Sarah Daniels
Sarah Daniels' story could have its own movie. She was a maid for a wealthy family that brought her along for the voyage. She worked for businessman Hudson Allison, his wife Bessie, and their children Lorraine and Trevor.
After the ship struck the iceberg, the story has it that Sarah went up on deck to find out what had happened. Upon discovering the truth, she tried to convince Mr. and Mrs. Allison to come up on deck with her, along with their children and nursemaid, Alice Cleaver.
Unfortunately, the Allisons didn't believe her, and Mr. Allison became angry with her for waking them up. She returned to the deck of the ship alone.
As seen in the blockbuster 1997 film, crew members were on deck directing people onto lifeboats as a "precautionary measure" hours before the entire ship sunk into the icy waters. There were barely any people in the boat with her despite the fact that there weren't enough lifeboats for all passengers on board.
Upon arriving safely back on land after the Titanic was gone, she described the eerily calm escape to the Manitoba Free Press: "The boat I was in was not very crowded. There were only 4 men in the boat and they took the oars."
"There was no officer in the boat and a woman steered as we were rowing away in the darkness."
Only one of the members of the Allison family survived. Baby Trevor made it onto the lifeboat with his nursemaid. Sarah returned to living with her friend Miss Green.
It's believed that Sarah lived out the rest of her life in Canada. However, there are no official records of what happened to her after her narrow escape from a cold, watery grave.
Back to the Present Day
The owners of the postcard are descendants of the recipient, Nell Green. Their names are Ralph (John) and Stephen Wilkes, and the postcard comes with research notes and a genealogy to help prove the item really came from the Titanic.
The Facebook posting for the auction has received only six reactions and five shares. However, probably due to the fascinating story connected to the postcard, the news is spreading across the internet. At this rate, the little piece of cardboard could end up netting more than $26,000.
The auction lot will also come with two other postcards sent by Sarah Daniels when she wasn't on the ship. We're guessing, however, that most of the draw will come from the Titanic story.
A Titanic Failure
The extent and nature of the Titanic tragedy has drawn interest since it happened over 106 years ago. Records show that 1,503 people died that night, largely due to mismanagement and a failure to provide enough lifeboats. The ship that was believed to be unsinkable, sadly, proved otherwise.
This auction will undoubtedly draw fans of the Titanic story, but it might also appeal to those with an affinity for creepy coincidences. "Wish you were here."
Shiver
