Rare poster advertising Titanic’s return voyage up for auction

An extremely rare poster advertising the planned return voyage of the Titanic  will be sold at auction.

The White Star luxury liner had been due to sail back across the Atlantic from New York to Southampton on Saturday, April 20, 1912 at noon. However, the ship would never make that voyage as it sank on April 15 with the loss of 1,522 lives.

The red, white and blue posters advertising the ‘Queen of the Ocean’ were put up all around lower Manhattan in the spring of 1912. After the tragedy, the posters were ripped down and destroyed by White Star Line, the Irish Mirror reports.

The 22-by-9 inch poster features an image of what is supposedly the Titanic at sea, but was was in fact her sister ship, the Olympic. It also carries two black-and-white photos of a third class cabin and the third class dining facility.

Rare poster advertising return voyage of the Titanic. Credit: Henry Aldridge & Son

The poster, which has been in the hands of a private collector for more than 30 years, will be sold at auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son of Devizes, Wilts on October 20, and is it is expected to be sold for an estimated £60,000–80,000 (approx. $78,430 - 104,575).

Read More: Menu from first ever meal served on the Titanic fetches $140k at auction

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told the Antiques Trade Gazette: “It is believed only a handful of these posters exist today, either in museums or private collections, one of which was on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum most recent exhibition ‘Speed and Style.’”

Also up for auction are two brass plaques, bearing the name ‘SS Titanic’ and the red flag emblem of the White Star Line, which were unscrewed from the sides of one of the Titanic wooden lifeboats.