It is expected to fetch up to USD 80,000 during the Christie's New York "Ocean Liner" auction on June 25.

A bloodstained life preserver recovered in the aftermath of the Titanic's sinking in 1912 is expected to be the most expensive item auctioned at the June 25 Christie's International Ocean Liner auction in New York.

The canvas and cork-filled preserver, one of six known vests associated with the liner, is estimated to fetch up to $80,000.

``This is one of those things that really brings out everything about the Titanic in one fell swoop,'' said Gregg Dietrich, the head of Christie's sale. ``It's everything about the tragedy in this one piece.''

Passengers who didn't get seats in a lifeboat and instead jumped into the frigid ocean met a tragic end.

``The vest was clumsy, and there are stories about people who jumped,'' Dietrich said. ``Each of those vest panels was like a hinge. They whacked people on the chin and knocked them unconscious.''

The British luxury liner, billed as an unsinkable ship, hit an iceberg on April 15, 1912, on its maiden voyage between Southampton, England, and New York. The ship went down off the coast of Newfoundland, and more than 1,500 passengers and crew -- out of a total of 2,200 -- lost their lives.

The White Star Line ship was reported to have cost $7.5 million to construct, or $164 million in today's dollars.

Floated Away

The vest probably floated away from the Titanic as it went down, according to Dietrich. It's unlikely someone was wearing it because the worn ones were cut from passengers, and it's unclear how the stains got there, he said. The auction house believes the stains are blood, although it hasn't been tested. The vest also has oil stains, he said.

John James Dunbar, a farmer from Nova Scotia, assisted with the clean-up of the wreckage and found the vest. He took it home and it remained in his family for several generations. His heirs are the sellers.

Last year Christie's sold another Titanic vest in London. The vest made $119,000, though it was in better condition than the one selling this week.

The Ocean Liner sale is projected to total as much as $1.3 million.