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Titanic postcard
Postcard RRauction

The 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which claimed the lives of 1,514 people on 15 April, 1912, is being marked by auctioneers in the UK and US.

Sales of hundreds of items that survived the disaster will take place on 31 March.

Henry Aldridge & Son, Wiltshire-based auctioneers of Titanic memorabilia, will hold an auction of 370 lots. Items include a letter written by the second officer, a portrait of a family lost in the disaster and keys used by the Titanic's lamp-trimmer.

Another lot is a first-class menu for the last lunch served on the craft before it sank, which is expected to sell for around £10,000.

Andrew Aldridge said: "The enduring appeal of the Titanic is illustrated by the fact that we have over 10,000 collectors on our database. Every person who sailed on the ship had a story to tell, so there are over 2,200 different angles to the Titanic and her story."

RR Auction, in Concord, New Hampshire, is also selling hundreds of items in an online auction, including a letter of a band leader who decided that the band should play on as the Titanic sank. Bidding will close on the sale on April 26.