Titanic musician's violin to be auctioned

19 February 2013, 11:15 | Updated: 30 September 2014, 14:26

A violin believed to have been owned by musician Wallace Hartley, who played as the Titanic sank, will be auctioned next month.

The famous story of the musicians that played as the Titanic sank continues, with the violin believed to have been owned by violinist Wallace Hartley going to auction next month.

The violin itself survived the sinking of the Titanic due to being safely contained in its leather case. Extensive scientific testing has so far confirmed that it did indeed belong to Wallace Hartley, with one remaining test still to come before the auction date.

It is expected to fetch several hundred thousand pounds when auctioned by Titanic experts Henry Aldridge & Son on April 20th, and is being sold by an anonymous seller. A 2011 auction saw a paper plan of the Titanic sell for £220,000.

Reports at the time of the disaster indicate that Hartley's body was found clutching the violin case close to his chest. An inscription on the violin's tailpiece reads: "For Wallace on the occasion of our engagement from Maria", which experts cite as the strongest evidence of the object's authenticity.

British author and Titanic expert Steve Turner told the Daily Mail, "I am convinced that it is genuine and impressed by the scope of the scientific and historical tests that have already taken place."