Titanic last lunch menu goes up for bidding

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An original lunch menu from the RMS Titanic that sunk in April 1912 will soon be up for bidding. According to reports, it will rake in at least $50,000.

The lunch menu was saved by a first-class passenger when he boarded Lifeboat No. 1. It was brought by Abraham Lincoln Salomon, a New York City businessman. The pencil markings found on the back of the paper was signed by another wealthy passenger, Isaac Gerald Frauenthal, who probably knew each other and ate lunch earlier before the untimely sinking of the ship.

According to the report by Newsweek, the lifeboat that carried the wealthy passengers was subject to controversy. Lifeboat No. 1 was also called "The Millionaire's Boat" or "The Money Boat" and apparently only had five wealthy passengers and seven crew members in it despite having a passenger capacity of 40. It would have saved many more people would it not have departed quickly from the sinking Titanic.

The menu, dated April 14, 1912, contained the lunch of the day including grilled mutton chops, roast beef, sardines and other savory items. It is estimated to sell at $50,000 to $70,000 and will be auctioned off by New York-based Lion Heart Autographs on Sept. 30 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the remains of the Titanic under the Atlantic Ocean, Huffington Post reports.

In addition to the lunch menu, the auction house will also be bidding off Salomon's printed ticket stub from the ship's Turkish baths which is expected to sell at $7,500 to $10,000. The third item to be auctioned off is a letter to Salomon from Mabel Francatelli six months after the tragedy. Francatelli was one of the passengers of Lifeboat No.1 alongside her boss, Lucy Duff-Gordon, a fashion designer and husband Lord Cosmo Duff-Gordon.

The letter contained Lady Duff-Gordon's qualms to Salomon about what they have experienced from the press and public following the inquiry from the British Wreck Commissioner and their subsequent clearance from the questioning.

"We do hope you have now quite recovered from the terrible experience," the letter to Salomon stated. "I am afraid our nerves are still bad, as we had such trouble & anxiety added to our already awful experience by the very unjust inquiry when we arrived in London."

The letter is expected to sell around $4,000 to $6,000.

According to the Herald Sun, those who aspire to bid for the items may do so in the following websites: Invaluable.com, eBayliveauctions.com, China's epailive.com and France's lefigaro.fr.