Coins Recovered from the Titanic including some U.S. Coins

1northcoin

And in memory of the man who was responsible for rescuing and preserving so many of the above Titanic artifacts which are part of the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor in Las Vegas, the below was posted in the weeks that followed his untimely death this past year while he was once again in proximity to the ship.

jt88

Nice post

Clackamas1

My great grandmother and great grandfather were suppose to get on the Titanic in Cork,Ireland but something happened and they were late and missed the boat. My great grandmother was pregnant with my Grandfather at the time. My family still has the tickets. I am glad they missed it.

Namvet69

The salvage display is impressive. Thanks for sharing. Peace Roy

The_Dinosaur_Man

That is a wonderful exhibit. My fiance and I went through it back in 2021. Her passenger survived, mine did not. The model of the undersea Bow section is eerie and awesome to look at.

If you ever make it to Fall River, MA, the Maritime Museum has a display of pre-discovery Titanic artifacts, including a similarly sized model of the ship used in a 1950s movie.

Downtown1974

I agree with others have said….it is a great exhibit. I saw the traveling exhibit in Hartford, CT. and I’ve seen the one in NYC. The Titanic Historical Society is about 20 minutes from my home in Indian Orchard, MA. There are some fascinating items there. The couple that runs it appeared in the James Cameron version of “Titanic” and are in the scene where Jack is teaching Rose how to spit. 😁

Glen2022

@Clackamas1 said:
My great grandmother and great grandfather were suppose to get on the Titanic in Cork,Ireland but something happened and they were late and missed the boat. My grandmother was pregnant with my Grandfather at the time. My family still has the tickets. I am glad they missed it.

Had they made the ship on time, likely you would not be here.

2windy2fish

Interesting that there was a Eureka California bank note that had made its way to Europe, before the fateful trip, a well travelled note.

The_Dinosaur_Man

I should add, too, that Woods Hole, MA, the home of WHOI who discovered the wreck, is in my hometown. I used to see the Alvin submersible from time to time down that way.

I'll give you a fun story: The mother of Dr. Ballard told her son that she wished he had never found the Titanic because that's all he would be known for thereafter.

coinbuf

My wife and I saw that exhibit in Vegas many years back, very impressive and we enjoyed it.

Steven59

Great pictures! For some reason, shoes recovered from the bottom of the ocean are so creepy.

gonzer

@Clackamas1 said:
My grandmother was pregnant with my Grandfather at the time.

Nice post but that statement kinda confuses me.

may

@gonzer said:

@Clackamas1 said:
My grandmother was pregnant with my Grandfather at the time.

Nice post but that statement kinda confuses me.

His Great-grandmother was pregnant with his Grandfather.

Clackamas1

@gonzer said:

@Clackamas1 said:
My grandmother was pregnant with my Grandfather at the time.

Nice post but that statement kinda confuses me.

I fixed it - it was my great grandmother

BLUEJAYWAY

Awesome photos.

jmlanzaf

@Clackamas1 said:

@gonzer said:

@Clackamas1 said:
My grandmother was pregnant with my Grandfather at the time.

Nice post but that statement kinda confuses me.

I fixed it - it was my great grandmother

Thank God. Otherwise there would be unfortunate loop in your family tree.

logger7

I'm curious if anyone has done historical research as to how much hard money and currency would have been on the Titanic? Only token issues were recovered for obvious reasons unlike the many shipwreck hoards were the wreck occured close to shore not in the middle of the ocean.

CaptHenway

@logger7 said:
I'm curious if anyone has done historical research as to how much hard money and currency would have been on the Titanic? Only token issues were recovered for obvious reasons unlike the many shipwreck hoards were the wreck occured close to shore not in the middle of the ocean.

The Second and THird Class immigrants would have been carrying their net worth in currency and coin, to be converted to U.S. money on Ellis Island.

Manifest_Destiny

Awesome, thanks!

1northcoin

@Steven59 said:
Great pictures! For some reason, shoes recovered from the bottom of the ocean are so creepy.

Yeah, the boots hit me that way too until I learned that they were from the suitcase of a survivor. Here is more about him from an account provided by his grandson:

Ernest also served on the Titanic’s sister ship the Olympic. Ernest was employed on the Titanic as a Trimmer. His job was to ensure the coal he gave to the stokers came from the correct place, making sure the balance of the ship was maintained. His pay was £5.10 shillings a month. As we all know 6 days later the Titanic was hit by an iceberg. Ernest managed to get on collapsible boat B, which was upside down. They were rescued by boats 4 and 12, crew were taken on board by both boats, but no names were taken. They were then picked up by the Carpathia, where they disembarked in New York on 18th April 1912. Ernest returned and spent most of his life in Southampton. Grandfather Ernest died on 27th December 1968, he was 80 years old.

What I find intriguing about the rescued and preserved artifacts is how they provide a picture in time. Little details are fascinating such as how the four onboard compasses worked with compass cards floating on pools of mineral spirits inside a sealed glass topped chamber. I found it of interest to learn that people of the time preferred their toast served cold and the toast holder used to serve it was a revelation. As a coin collector myself I appreciated the efforts that went into the displays showing the actual coinage and bills as they were then in use.

https://www.titanicuniverse.com/titanic-survivor-ernest-frederick-allen-crew-member/994

BuffaloIronTail

I don't know. I'm conflicted about all of this.

In one respect, the stuff brought up is super cool.

But.......I can't get it out of my head that salvaging that stuff is like grave robbing.

Pete

JBK

I imagine that very, very few people actually perished inside or on the Titanic. The sinking was very much a slow motion catastrophe with people getting into the lifeboats or left standing on deck when the ship finally sank. Most people who perished presumably died from hypothermia in the water.

Also, it has occurred to me that people's perceptions often change depending on what is potentially being salvaged from a shipwreck.

The SS Central America sank in 1857 and the sinking cost the lives of 425 of her 578 passengers and crew, but the 30,000 pounds of gold aboard seems to have alleviated concerns over grave robbing. Same for the Atocha and other ships filled with riches.

PerryHall

@JBK said:
The SS Central America sank in 1857 and the sinking cost the lives of 425 of her 578 passengers and crew, but the 30,000 pounds of gold aboard seems to have alleviated concerns over grave robbing.

Before abandoning the ship, many of the wealthy passengers stuffed their pockets and money belts with gold coins and when they jumped into the water, they immediately sunk to the bottom of the ocean due to the added weight of the gold. I guess they'd rather die rich than to live poor.

JBK

"You can't take it with you", but I guess it can take you with it.