A metro Atlanta company's plan to sell artifacts from the Titanic faces US government opposition

The titanic is shown in the ocean before it hit an iceberg
The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. (AP Photo, File)

A local company’s plan to auction more than 100 artifacts salvaged from the wreckage of the Titanic — including personal belongings, currency, kitchen items and decor — is facing pushback from the U.S. government, according to newly unsealed court documents.

RMS Titanic Inc., the Peachtree Corners-based company that owns exclusive salvage rights to the famous wreck in the North Atlantic, wants to sell the artifacts for the first time despite previous agreements to only display them at museums and traveling exhibitions.

RMS Titanic proposed auctioning the artifacts and displaying them on a global tour in four cities, although those locations haven’t been publicly revealed. Court documents filed in the U.S. referenced the company’s plan to sell artifacts including a bronze cherub, a necklace of gold nuggets and a heart-shaped pendant.