Posted By:
Kevin SaucierJohn and others, it doesn't stop at cards. Americana lots are also subject to deceit. I have mentioned this before but I can't think of a better time to bring it up again.
Much of this was not of significance, except for the button worn by a passenger that night. I called and they faxed over some of the provenance, part of which read:
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"This is not a prop from the motion picture Titanic
It is a real piece of Titanic history
I am offering a very ornate button that was owned by a survivor of the Titanic. This buttons history is traced back to a couple that lived in Boston, Mass. I had originally been informed that the family name was Hopper but this is not the case. This button adorned a jacket owned by a first class passenger named Mrs. Harris. We believe that Mrs. Harris had traveled with her maid that had the last name Hopper and the first name Mary.
After the tragic event Mrs. Harris moved to Maryland and lived out the remainder of her life until her death at the age of 77.
The button has small blue gemstones....some are missing.
We are not sure how this happened, but rumors were told to me that it quite possibly happened the very night Titanic sank (this is not a certain fact)"
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Mrs. Harris lived and died in NY at the age of 93 and was not known to have traveled with a maid (just her husband). Also there is no listing of passenger named Mary Hopper on the Titanic.
They still kept the auction going and eventually sold them to some unsuspecting collector...even after they were told there was no supporting evidence that the passenger listed in their description ever existed and that the seller was a suspected ebay fraudster.
Other Titanic experts questioned the photo and watch fob as well but I have no idea about their authenticity.
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