A plan to auction more than 100 artifacts salvaged from the Titanic wreck has drawn opposition from the US government, according to court documents unsealed earlier this month.
RMS Titanic Inc, the Georgia-based company that holds exclusive salvage rights to the wreck in the North Atlantic, wants to sell the objects for the first time, the documents show. The company had previously agreed to display the artifacts only in museums and traveling exhibitions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which represents US oversight of the wreck site, contends that a sale would violate RMS Titanic’s legal obligations, the documents state. In its argument, the government wrote that the company “does not seek the court’s approval, does not believe that approval is required, and asserts that it is not restricted in its ability to sell” the artifacts.
The artifacts include personal belongings, currency, kitchen items and decor, according to the court filings. Specific items mentioned include a bronze cherub, a necklace of gold nuggets and a heart-shaped pendant.
Representatives for RMS Titanic did not respond to requests for comment. The company’s attorneys previously said in a federal court filing that the proposed auction arrangement would not violate existing court orders and agreements about the artifacts.
This is the latest attempt to sell Titanic artifacts. Since 1987, salvage operations have retrieved thousands of items and sections of the Titanic’s hull. RMS Titanic makes money by exhibiting them.
Over the decades, the company has tried to sell artifacts to fund future explorations and because of financial difficulties. Those efforts have been opposed by US courts, preservation groups and relatives of victims. Some of the salvaged items belonged to passengers.
Items saved by survivors or recovered from the water by rescuers can be sold and often fetch high prices. A life jacket worn by a passenger sold for just over $900,000 in April, and a gold pocket watch given to the captain of the rescue ship sold for nearly $2 million in 2024.
The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage from Europe to New York in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 of the roughly 2,200 people aboard. Auctioneers say the enduring fascination with the disaster and the rarity of artifacts drive high demand and prices.