!"#$%&')*%%&$+,- Friday, 16 March 2012 CURIOUS & HISTORIC MARITIME & SCIENTIFIC ITEMS COMING UP FOR AUCTION AT THE NEXT CHARLES MILLER LTD SALE ON WEDNESDAY, 25 TH APRIL 2012 Charles Miller Ltd s auction and sale is open to all and is a unique opportunity to see and buy some of the rare, curious and historic items that will be coming under the hammer next month in London. The forthcoming sale includes fascinating items relating to Titanic, Nelson, and Shackleton. Emotive Titanic medals An emergency helm and two Portholes recovered from a White Star Line wreck, which was a contemporary of Titanic A Titanic crewman s discharge book A Collection of plans for Titanic s construction dock by Harland and Wolff, dated 1907/8 which were discovered in an attic in Belfast A request signed by Nelson, before he lost his right arm Eye witness account from the Battle of Trafalgar A Pioneer s photograph albums of the earliest submarines in the Royal Navy Pre-Britannia racing yacht model fit for the Prince of Wales Shackelton s Captain s antarctic slides and magic lantern Relics from the foundation of the modern information super highway dating from the mid-19th century. Was this Joseph Banks s compass from Captain Cook s first voyage? Work from the grand master from the golden age of scrimshaw A portable time device from Henry VIII s era Photographs from one of the earliest travel exploration photographers.#/&0123
!"#$%&')*%%&$+,- Friday, 16 March 2012 Emotive Titanic medals to be sold just 10 days after the 100th anniversary of the famous voyage. Two extremely rare R.M.S Carpathia Medals one in bronze and one in silver - awarded for the rescue of the survivors of the Titanic are estimated to fetch 4,000-6,000 and 3,000-5,000 respectively when offered for auction in London next month. Inscribed Presented to the Captain, Officers & Crew of R.M.S Carpathia, in recognition of gallant & heroic services from the survivors of the S.S Titanic, April 15th, 1912. The bronze one is engraved J.J.K Q.M making it even more rare. J.J.K refers to J.J Kirkpatrick who was known to his crew members as Benjamin and was born in Liverpool. He ws just 21years when made a Quarter Master on the Carpathia and it is believed that he was the man at the wheel on the fateful night of the sinking and under the orders of Captain Rostron, steered the gallant little Carpathia through random ice-flows to reach the disaster scene. It is also recorded that Carpathia s carpenter, David Eaton, prised the nameplate off Titanic s lifeboat no.4 and subsequently gave it to Kirkpatrick as a memento. An emergency helm and two Portholes recovered from a White Star Line wreck, which was a contemporary of Titanic Built in 1899, S.S. Afric was a passenger/cargo ship of nearly 12,000 tons which was built for White Star Line by Harland & Wolff for the Australian service. It was torpedoed in 1917 12 miles SSW of the Eddystone Lighthouse. It is rare that items from White Star Live vessels are offered at auction. Included in the sale will be two portholes from the vessel and the late 19th century emergency docking helm Combined estimate: 2,300 3,200)..#/&4123
!"#$%&')*%%&$+,- Friday, 16 March 2012 A Titanic crewman s discharge book James Witter 1880-1961) had transferred to the Titanic, just 11 days before the disaster. He was an experienced crewman, who had also worked on the Olympic/Adriatic and Majestic and he was asked to work on the Titanic a new type of liner. On duty at the time of the collision, he was asked by the some of the passengers to find out what the problem was and encountered the joiner John Hutchinson who told him the bloody mail room's full and then saloon steward William Moss it's really serious, Jim. Latterly he was assisting with lifeboat 11 when, in trying to calm a panic-stricken woman who was thrashing about, they lost their footing and tumbled in to the boat which was being lowered, luckily he was ordered to remain. He remained with White Star and Cunard White Star) for the rest of his working life and assisted Walter Lord is his seminal account A Night to Remember. He died in 1961, still haunted by the horror he had witnessed. The certificate, which is inscribed Renewal Book/ Original Lost through shipwreck, and the discharge from Titanic is at sea is estimated at 1,000-1,500. A Collection of plans for Titanic s construction dock by Harland and Wolff, dated 1907/8 which were discovered in an attic in Belfast These plans pertain to the dockyard extension plans to accommodate the building of the Titanic and her sister ship, the Olympic. The date of these plans indicates how far in advance these huge liners were planned. They carry an estimate of 400-600. A request signed by Nelson, before he lost his right arm Among several Nelson items is a letter from Captain Horatio Nelson requesting supplies for H.M.S Agamemnon to Commodore Robert Linzee, which is estimated to fetch 1,500-2,000. Dating from 1793, it is thought that this was written in Cagliari, Sardinia. This was Nelson s first ship-of-the-line and he writes that we have not a fathom of rope. It was also during.#/&5123
!"#$%&')*%%&$+,- Friday, 16 March 2012 his time on this ship that he initially sailed to Toulon via Naples and first encountered Lady Hamilton. Eye witness account from the Battle of Trafalgar A rare contemporary account by Lieutenant Paul Harris Nicholas c.1790-1860). This private pocket journal was kept while aboard H.M.S Belle Isle and includes his service at Trafalgar. Very few contemporary accounts are seen from the ranks of the Royal Marines. His account of Trafalgar takes up no less than 17 sides and includes a plan of attack, notes on men wounded and the Death of Nelson. Estimated at 800-1,200. A Pioneer s photograph album of the earliest submarines in the Royal Navy A rare archive compiled by one of the earliest British submarine pioneers, Capt. John Moreton dating from the late 19th/ 20th is expected to fetch 2,000-3,000. Moreton was a protégé of Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon and included in the archive, which comprises approx. 170 sepia and black & white images, are views of the first three Royal Navy submarines. Pre-Britannia racing yacht model fit for the Prince of Wales A rare and historically-interesting 1:24 scale builder's model measuring 145 x 203cm. of the twin-masted racing schooner Aline, built by Camper & Nicholson 1860, and later owned by H.R.H. Edward, Prince of Wales 1882-1895 is estimated to fetch 20,000-30,000. The model has been meticulously constructed and is a rare model of this type and even more so, one of a yacht used by Royalty..#/&6123
!"#$%&')*%%&$+,- Friday, 16 March 2012 Shackelton s Captain s antarctic slides and magic lantern A magic lantern and archive depicting Shackleton s Imperial Trans-Arctic Endurance Expedition of 1914-17. The archive, which also includes 400 slides was formerly owned and used by New Zealand-born sailor and explorer Cmdr. Frank Arthur Worsley 1872-1943). Worsley was one of the five crew of the lifeboat christened the James Caird, and took part in one of the greatest open boat voyages ever recorded. Estimate 1,000-1,500 Relics from the foundation of the modern information super highway dating from the mid-19th century. An historically-interesting and rare sailor s waterline model of the cable layer Chiltern is estimated at 500-800. Not only is it rare to find a model of a cable layer, but even more rare that it still retains a wide range of accompanying artefacts such as a section of the earliest submarine cables which laid the foundations for the modern information super highway that we know today. Was this Joseph Banks s compass from Captain Cook s first voyage? A pocket compass inscribed Sir Joseph Banks/ Compass/ use by him on/ Captain Cooks/ Voyages carries an estimate of 200-400. Sir Joseph banks was part of the ENDEAVOUR Expedition 1768-71). This compass is the correct design and form for the period of James Cook, and the inscription is a tantalising what if Work from the grand master from the golden age of scrimshaw A rare 19th-century scrimshaw-decorated whales tooth by Edward Burdett 1805-1833) who is considered as the greatest exponent of the art - incised over both sides with depictions entitled H.M.S. Sealark / H.M.S. Isis is expected to fetch 5,000-8,000,.#/&7123
!"#$%&')*%%&$+,- Friday, 16 March 2012 A portable time device from Henry VIII s era Hardly ever seen at auction, and most commonly viewed behind the glass of a museum cabinet this rare ivory Nuremberg dial by Johann Gebhart dated for 1550 is among the scientific instruments and carries an estimate of 4,000-6,000. Photographs from one of the earliest travel exploration photographers. A study of a female penguin titled I don t care what becomes of me by Herbert George Ponting 1871-1935) who accompanied Captain Scott on his last fatal expedition is estimated at 500-800, while a photograph of Spray ridges of ice, Cape Evans, inaccessible island carries an estimate of 700-900. -ENDS- Charles Miller Ltd sale information Charles Miller Ltd s auction takes place at 25 Blythe Road, London W14 0PD on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 12noon. The sale will comprise more than 250 lots. Public viewing will take place on Sunday, April 22 12-4pm); Monday, April 23 10am 7pm) and Tuesday, April 24 10am 5pm) Charles Miller Ltd office and store address: Suite 6 Imperial Studios, 3/11 Imperial Road, London SW6 2AG. Charles Miller Ltd sales are held twice each year in April and October. The October sale will be held on 31 st October 2012..#/&8123
!"#$%&')*%%&$+,- Friday, 16 March 2012 About Charles Miller Ltd Charles Miller Ltd is an independent auction house which sells Maritime Models, Artefacts, Collectables and Navigation and Scientific Instruments on a biannual basis. A former head of department at Christie s and now recognised as a world leader in his field, Charles has achieved acclaim for a number of significant results, across a range of subjects, including the sale of the H.M.S Spartiate Union Flag the only surviving Union Flag from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 to come to sale for a record 384,000 on Trafalgar Day 2009; the company has also handled what is thought to be the largest ship model to come to auction the John Brown builders model for H.M.S Leviathon 1901) which was a monumental 2.5 metres high and 4 metres wide. 57,600 April 2010) For more information visit www.charlesmillerltd.com or call 0207 806 5530 Charles Miller is also on twitter @CharlesMillerLt For further press information or press images, please contact Rachel Aked Tel: 07790 732448 Email: rachel@rachelaked.co.uk.#/&3123