A Treasured Collectible from R.M.S Titanic

More than a 100 years after it sunk into the North Atlantic Ocean, the Titanic continues to live in the hearts of people. It holds a special place in my heart too. And I am proud to own a piece of the real Titanic – a bit of authentic coal recovered from the sunken ship!

Through books and an impeccably made movie, Titanic continues to rule our hearts even today. It was on April 14, 1912 that the ship sunk. When modern technology made it possible to salvage some items from the 100 year old debris, people made a beeline for the relics! Some were auctioned for as high as $1.7m!! For my own love of the tragic story and the most romantic movie of all times, I added a little souvenir to my collection. A 100th Anniversary commemorative coin containing real coal from R.M.S Titanic.

Titanic was a coal-fed ship and recruited 73 persons as “coal trimmers”. These coal trimmers are said to have sacrificed their lives by staying below deck to keep the ship running. Only 20 coal trimmers had survived. From the wreck of the Titanic, several items were recovered during the 1994 Titanic Research and Recovery Expedition. It included some amount of coal. Coal, not being classified as an ‘artifact’ was probably more affordable and made it possible for me to own a piece of Titanic history.

A little bit of coal from the world famous shipwreck is set in a commemorative coin and comes with a certificate of authenticity. It is encased in a museum style curator’s box so that no dust sets in. On of my fellow collectors cactually got the coal authenticated by a Geologist and indeed, it turned out to be anthracite coal mined in 1911!

Like I have mentioned before, I collect things based upon what makes me happy. For all my techie interests, I rarely venture beyond 18th century romance novels when it comes to reading. This is exactly the kind of thing that would make me all dreamy-eyed and emotional! I am glad to own something that was a real part of Titanic 🙂