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Lot #294
Carl Asplund

Ornate iron key recovered from the body of a third-class passenger

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Description

Ornate iron key recovered from the body of a third-class passenger

A single iron key with quatrefoil head made by Yale and Town circa 1900, measuring approximately two inches long, recovered from the body of third-class Titanic passenger Carl Asplund. Beautifully archivally triple-cloth-matted and framed with a descriptive plaque and photo of Asplund to an overall size of 17.5 x 13.5. This key was recovered from Asplund’s body, no. 142, by the Mackay-Bennett, and is documented in the inventory of his possessions. Provenance: Asplund Family; Henry Aldridge, May 2011. Asplund and his wife, Selma, had previously lived in the US but had returned to Sweden to raise their family. Having decided to return to the United States, the couple and their children—Filip Oscar, Clarence Gustaf Hugo, Carl Edgar, Lillian Gertrud, and Edvin Rojj Felix—boarded the Titanic at Southampton. When the accident occurred, Carl took possession of all the family’s important items, money, and paperwork—unfortunately, the family’s money and papers were lost. The only survivors were Selma, Lillian, and Felix, who had managed to board lifeboat 15; Lillian, five years old at the time, was one of the last three living survivors and the only one to have actual memories of the ship. An attractive and nicely displayed relic from a tragic loss of the maritime disaster.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autographs and Artifacts
  • Dates: #460 - Ended September 16, 2015