Titanic Artifacts up for Auction

One of the gold-plated fixtures from the grand staircase of the Titanic once strung with crystal beads, as part of a collection of artifacts on April 11. (Calvin He/The Epoch Times)"][/caption]NEW YORK—Exactly one century after the famous luxury liner’s maiden voyage on April 11, 1912, the Titanic’s artifacts will be auctioned on April 11, 2012. The complete collection of artifacts, around 5,500 items, will for the first time depart from the care of RMS Titanic Inc., in an unprecedented auction. The auction will include the entire array of artifacts as one collection. The collection was on display Thursday at the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum, and includes coins, watches, a vest with buttons still intact, and even a mammoth 17-ton portion of the ship’s hull—dubbed “The Big Piece.” A 2007 appraisal of the collection—including intangible assets such as video of diving exhibitions—valued it at a whopping $189 million, making this auction one of the most anticipated ever. “By any standards, this is one of the most important, significant auctions in history," said Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey’s Auction House, the host of the auction. "The whole world knows the Titanic. It’s very meaningful.” [gallery link="file" columns="2" orderby="rand" exclude="173412