In the Bookcase

4/09/2012

Postcards & tickets from the Titanic's passengers.

Well, my readers, I have a fantastic piece of news to share with you:

Starting today, if you visit my other blog, you'll have the chance to win a Titanic necklace!! It features a black & white photograph of the Titanic on a vintage-looking silver tone pendant. What better way to remember the 100th anniversary?! Click here to enter the contest. It ends on April 15th, the same day as the Titanic's sinking! So, be sure to enter and tell your friends too.

Tomorrow is cast-off day for the Titanic! And if you were going to be a passenger on the greatly-anticipated ship, today would probably be one of immense excitementment and final preparations for a voyage at sea.

Titanic postcard A lot of people bought postcards to send in the mail to friends and family, like the postcard pictured to the left. It was going to be a grand experince to sail on the ship, and when they sent messages to the people waiting for them in America, they wanted to send a picture of the ship itself too.

How much was the price of the Titanic's tickets?
The individual cost of passenger tickets varied significantly, depending on certain accomodations and which class you were in. The ticket prices listed below are only the main categories, and there were other price options available, in between the amounts shown, especially between the First Class tickets, since there is such a dramatic difference!

First Class (Parlor Suite): $4,350
First Class (Berth): $150
Second Class: $60
Third Class (Steerage): $40

These prices show how expensive that it was to get on the Titanic. A hundred years ago was back in the days when a dozen eggs cost .40 cents, and a couple pounds of sugar cost 0.14 cents at the general store. So, these tickets for the Titanic must have been a fortune if you had that much money, even for third class. Care to think about the price of such tickets if they were for sale in modern currency?

Third Class Titanic passenger ticket


April 9th was the last day before casting off. The passengers would be arriving to board the ship on the next morning, and so the voyage would begin on April 10th. Wouldn't you be terribly excited if you were going to embark on the world's largest liner?


3 comments:

  1. This necklace is absolutely gorgeous, thanks for the heads up about the giveaway. Also, I cannot believe the discrepancy in pricing between first class and steerage...that is wild, by today's standards, without adjusting for inflation (I don't even wanna think about THAT!).

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  2. Quite a difference in ticket prices, but then when you read of the accommodations and amenities, there is an enormous difference in those as well. It would have been an extraordinary experience to board the largest, finest, possibly fastest liner. I imagine the excitement everyone felt in doing so. Such an unfortunate tragedy, though.

    I am currently reading Titanic: First Accounts which includes first hand accounts from survivors. It's an interesting read that I hope to finish and review soon. Perhaps it is one you would be interested in as well?

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  3. Titanic Belfast offers a unique, luxurious and stylish venue for holding outstanding conference, banqueting and event facilities.Titanic Ireland

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