U.S. Government Challenges RMS Titanic Inc.’s Plan to Auction Titanic Artifacts

RMS Titanic Inc., the firm with salvage rights to RMS Titanic wreck, has filed a plan to auction over 100 artifacts recovered from the Atlantic site. The plan calls for an exhibition in four cities. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), representing the U.S., seeks to block the sale, citing breach of the 1990s salvage agreement and court orders.

PatchA plan to sell artifacts from the Titanic faces US government opposition

Since its recovery in 1987, RMS Titanic Inc. has retrieved thousands of items, including hull fragments and effects. A 1990s settlement granted rights on the condition that artifacts be displayed only in museums or exhibitions, not sold.

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RMS Titanic Inc. holds salvage rights; NOAA oversees wreck protection. Ocean explorer Greg Stone and law professor Richard Daynard have publicly opposed the auction. France’s IFREMER and Woods Hole were partners in the original discovery.

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The auction would feature over 100 items, including a bronze cherub, a gold-nugget necklace and a heart-shaped pendant. NOAA estimates the collection at roughly 5,000 artifacts. Recent sales: a life jacket $900,000, a pocket watch $2 million.

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NOAA’s filing says the sale would breach the company’s duty to preserve the wreck and keep the collection intact per the 1990s agreement. RMS Titanic Inc.’s lawyers argue no order bars the auction and that a U.S. court lacks jurisdiction over French-claimed items.

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Preservationists and scholars contend that selling Titanic artifacts turns a historic tragedy into a luxury commodity, undermining public heritage and setting a risky precedent.

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NOAA asserts all roughly 5,000 items must stay together under U.S. court conditions, while RMS Titanic Inc. argues the U.S. court cannot govern artifacts awarded to France. The 1990s agreement is seen by NOAA as prohibiting sales; the company says it is not restricted.

A plan to sell artifacts from the Titanic faces US government opposition

• “I don’t have a problem with people recovering artifacts from the Titanic as long as it’s done careful, with proper archaeological techniques,” — Greg Stone, ocean explorer and scientist

A plan to sell artifacts from the Titanic faces US government opposition

• “ The rules governing the display and sale of Titanic artifacts are intended to preserve the wreckage for the benefit of the public and so it can't be “picked up by billionaires for further display of their wealth and power,” said Richard Daynard, a law professor at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston who specializes in public interest advocacy.” — Richard Daynard, law professor, Northeastern University

A plan to sell artifacts from the Titanic faces US government opposition

• “If it’s something where someone can walk through their house and say ‘Yes, I bought this for $5 million and it’s original from the Titanic,’ that’s not a good thing,” — Richard Daynard, law professor, Northeastern University

A plan to sell artifacts from the Titanic faces US government opposition

• “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” — NOAA, filing on behalf of the U.S. government

A plan to sell artifacts from the Titanic faces US government opposition

A federal judge will soon rule on the auction’s legality; the exhibition tour remains suspended pending the decision.

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