Titanic Band Leader's Final Letter Sells for $154,974: Record Price

From the April 27, 2012, Chicago Tribune by Jason McClure, Reuters. //// Wallace Hartley, 33, bandleader of the eight-piece group on the Titanic, wrote the letter five days before the ship struck the iceberg that sank it. He mailed it April 11, 1912, during a stop at Queenstown, Ireland. "We have a fine band and the boys seem very nice." He also promised to see his parents the following Sunday when he returned. //// Not at auction, but of interest, tips were a major source of income for him and his musicians. Various national currencies were found in the pockets of his uniform when his body was recovered some two weeks after the ship sank. //// An unnamed investment group bought it for $154,974 at the online auction. The letter had previously sold for $2,431 at auction in 1981, so someone made a tidy profit. //// A Real Piece of History. --DaCoot