Hindenburg disaster survivor's ticket and wreckage artefacts could fetch £14,900 at auction

A remarkable collection of artefacts recovered from the Hindenburg airship disaster, including a passenger ticket belonging to one of the survivors, could sell for almost £15,000 at auction.

The historic memorabilia offers a rare glimpse into the final hours of the German airship before it burst into flames during its landing approach at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937.

The centrepiece of the four-item collection is an original passenger ticket belonging to Philip Mangone, a New York clothing designer who escaped the burning airship.

Issued by Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei, the ticket was for the transatlantic journey from Frankfurt am Main to Lakehurst and is believed to be one of only two surviving passenger tickets from the Hindenburg's final flight.

The collection is expected to attract bids of up to $20,000 (£14,900) when it goes under the hammer with Boston-based RR Auction.

Alongside the ticket is a particularly poignant message delivered aboard the airship the evening before the disaster.

The radiogram, received through Chatham Radio on Cape Cod on May 5, was addressed to Mangone and contained the words "will meet yo[u]".

The other two pieces include what RR Auction describes as the only known onboard wine menu recovered from the wreckage, and a fragment of a porcelain plate bearing the airship company's globe-and-airship emblem.

The plate features a distinctive gilt and blue border, while all four items are said by the consignor to have been recovered from the crash site at Lakehurst.

Mangone's escape became part of the extraordinary story of the disaster, which was captured in broadcaster Herbert Morrison's famous eyewitness recording.

As flames engulfed the Hindenburg, the designer smashed a passenger-deck window with a chair before jumping from the burning airship.

However, his ordeal was far from over. Trapped beneath the collapsing framework, he dug into the ground in an attempt to escape the flames.

He survived but suffered serious injuries and spent six months in hospital before recovering and returning to his career in fashion.

The Hindenburg disaster claimed 36 lives, including 35 of the 97 passengers and crew aboard the airship and one member of the ground crew.

A further 62 people aboard survived the catastrophe, which became one of the most infamous aviation disasters in history and effectively ended the era of commercial passenger airships.

The collection will feature in RR Auction's World War II auction, which is scheduled to conclude on November 19.