Brooch linked to lost Scottish steamer surfaces at Lancashire road show

A modest gold brooch that surfaced at a WeBuyVintage road show in Fleetwood, Lancashire, carried far more value than its £100 estimate suggested. Its reverse was inscribed with the ship’s name, the date of presentation, and the names of William Robertson and Elizabeth McIntyre Anderson.

The piece was presented on April 21, 1894, to Anderson, the first person to board the SS Citrine for its maiden voyage. Rope and life-preserver motifs were worked in gold, along with a citrine stone that echoed the vessel’s name. Kept in Anderson’s family for more than 130 years, it came to the road show after being passed down through the late wife’s family and uncle. The owner planned to use the proceeds to upgrade his motorhome.

Robertson founded Glasgow’s Gem Line in 1852 with a single barge and built it into one of Britain’s largest coastal bulk shipping fleets, with nearly 50 vessels. Under his direction, the company used steam power in Scotland’s coal, ore and limestone trade, and the SS Citrine was one of several Gem Line ships named after gemstones.

The Citrine itself was built in Dundee by W.B. Thompson & Co. and registered in Glasgow. On March 17, 1931, it struck rocks at Bradda Head near Port Erin on the Isle of Man and sank, killing nine of its 11 crew members. By then, Robertson had been dead for more than a decade, and the company was being run by his sons.

Matt Case of WeBuyVintage called the brooch a rare and poignant survivor of Scotland’s maritime history.