North Bay man's collection of Titanic artifacts among world's finest
SAN RAFAEL - On the 111th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, a North Bay man gives KPIX a look at his huge collection of artifacts from the infamous event.
Friday marks 111 years since the maiden voyage of the Titanic ended in tragedy. The ship hit an iceberg at 11:40 on April 14th and sunk in the early morning hours of April 15th 1912. It's a story that continues to captivate the world, even inspiring one of the most popular movies of all time.
Tony Probst of San Rafael is one of the most prolific collectors of Titanic artifacts in the world, and he keeps it all at his home theatre business showroom.
"I grew up on the ocean. Ispent 14 years sailing around the world with my parents. It's just...it's nostalgic. I've always had a fascination with the Titanic."
Everything from passenger tickets, to rare dishes worth more than $50,000 each, to pieces from the Carpathia, the boat that saved the titanic passengers who survived.
Seeing Tony's collection is almost like looking trough a porthole to 1912.
"I've been contacted by the Ronald Reagan library, the National Geographic museum in Washington DC...two titanic museums...one in Branson..the other in Pigeon Forge in Tennessee."
Tony even got a call from James Cameron to use his personal collection as research for Titanic. The movie reignited the world's fascination with the Titanic, and it made Tony a celebrity among collectors.
But finding authentic artifacts isn't easy. Being part of the hunt for the latest treasure means knowing how to filter out the fakes.
"I get about 2-5 emails a day. The real ones pop up every year to year and a half."
So how does Tony get his hands on the artifacts before anyone else? He's keeping that info locked up.
"I just know people who know people who were able to go down, so I managed to get hold of a couple pieces."
Unlike his trade secrets, and unlike most collectors, Tony wants to keep his treasures out in the light.
"Most people who have a collection of artifacts, they just hang out in their closets and very few people get to see them. Here, it's on free public display, and I just enjoy having people come in."