Heard it through the
Grapevine A Key to Riches (or Just a Skeleton Key?) By Ralph Finch I was drifting around the internet when I floated across Lot 288, an R.M.S. Titanic White Star Line company key and ring with brass tag stamped “SERVICE FOR ‘E’ Deck.” The seller said, “This highly important artifact was a master service key for access to the forward portion of E Deck, which provided steward Edmund Stone access to the crew-only passage ways of the ship. Stone would have made frequent use of this key in the course of his duties to his First-Class Passengers. “Stone could have also used the key to provide passage for crewmen and passengers during the sinking of the vessel as Third-Class accommodations were located in this area.” The Baath, England, auction house estimated the key at £40,000-60,000 ($51,035-76,552). Per the internet: Edmund J. Stone was born in Southampton in 1879, and was 33 at the time of the Titanic disaster. His body was recovered by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett, body No 41, and was buried at sea (which seems a bit redundant). In his pockets: two knives, a pawn ticket, a silver watch, a pencil and keys. Another small, corroded key for a locker on the Titanic has sold for £85,000 ($115,523). The key was used by Sidney Sedunary, 23, from Shirley, Southampton, a third-class steward. (If you think that’s a lot for a key that now can’t open a door, just about anything related to that ship goes for a boatload.)
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Antique Bottle & Glass Collector
FYI: The sinking of the Titanic was the biggest news story to break until the onset of World War One. If you search, you can find things sold (or still offered) such as: • A deck chair recovered from the scene by a body recovery ship. One of only seven known to exist. • An extraordinary ticket from 1911, granting the holder access to the Harland & Wolff shipyard to attend the launching of the Titanic. • A pre-sinking reverse glass souvenir painting intended for sale onboard the Titanic. • An original negative from Mabel Fenwick, a Carpathia passenger, showing Titanic’s wreck site on the morning of April 15th, 1912. • A pressed tin W. Ariel Gray & Co. cigarette case advertising Titanic’s maiden voyage. And, a prime reminder that smoking, especially on a ship, can be dangerous to your health. • A pre-sinking advertisement for Vinolia Otto Toilet Soap, announcing its use in Titanic’s first class appointments. • A religious pamphlet using the sinking of the Titanic as a propaganda tool.
r Editor’s note: As part of my plan to insert a bad joke in every story I include this: My grandfather was there just before the Titanic sank. He shouted three times that “It’s gonna sink!” … until they finally kicked him out of the movie theater.
TOP: The key found on Edmund Stone's body. MIDDLE: The locker key from the Titanic that sold for £85,000. The locker was for life jackets. BOTTOM: Photograph of Edmund J. Stone.
