Violin played by bandmaster as the Titanic sank in 1912 found in musician’s attic

Item considered one of the most important relics to be recovered from the Titanic disaster

"The bag rested on top of his lifejacket and would have largely been kept out of the water. A letter from his mother was found in his breast pocket and that suffered hardly any water damage."

Craig Sopin, a lawyer in Philadelphia, is owner of one of the world’s largest collections of Titanic memorabilia, and he already has his eyes set on the Hartley violin.

"The research has shown that this is something that I would like to have in my collection, which means I believe it to be 100 percent genuine.

"As far as Titanic memorabilia is concerned it is the most important piece that has ever come up and that includes artefacts recovered from the seabed such as the crow's nest bell."

Some items of Hartley's jewelry, including the cigarette case, will be sold at auction in Devizes next month while the violin will be exhibited.

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Nster.com