Penned just days before the ship’s fatal encounter with an iceberg in April 1912, the letter contains the eerily prescient sentence: “I shall await my journey’s end before I pass judgment on her.”

The letter, sold by Henry Aldridge & Son, vastly exceeded its estimate, fetching nearly five times the expected price. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge attributed the high value to Gracie’s remarkable comment and the enduring public fascination with the Titanic disaster, which claimed around 1,500 lives. “Their memories are kept alive through those items”, he noted.

Colonel Gracie, a wealthy American investor, survived the sinking by clinging to an overturned lifeboat but sadly died less than eight months later due to health complications exacerbated by the ordeal. He later detailed his experiences in the book, The Truth About the Titanic, NPR reports.

Fortunately, the letter was posted during the ship’s stop in Queenstown, Ireland, before its transatlantic journey began, ensuring its survival. It arrived with an acquaintance of Gracie’s in London just three days before the liner sank.