Titanic items auctioned from Beloit - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

BELOIT (WKOW) -- A number of historical items having to do with the Titanic are being auctioned by a service in Beloit.

"The great thing about this business is that you get to see it all, you don't have to own much, you just get to own it for a few minutes," said Richard Ranft, owner of Beloit Auction.

Ranft said there are more than a dozen pieces up for grabs on the online auction, which ends Sunday evening.

He said the two most popular items may be a crew member's wage slip and a locket worn by Captain Edward Smith's widow. He said he's seen bidders from Rome, Italy and across the U.S.

Ranft said auctioning items like these can make the business exciting. "This is what makes the auction business what it is," he said.

The auction's timing is no coincidence. Ranft said both he, and his client, wanted to put the auction on at the same time as the Titanic's maiden voyage 100 years ago. It ends the same day the Titanic sank in 1912.