Unlike many 13-year-olds, Havre de Grace resident Joey Russell is not obsessed with the movie "Titanic." But he is hoping that the mania surrounding James Cameron's blockbuster will help fetch a good price for the antique Titanic postcard he's auctioning.
The silent auction -- bids must be placed before 4 p.m. April 22 -- is being held to raise money for Mary Shelley, the mother of Joey's friend and classmate Kate Shelley, who has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant.
The card is autographed by a survivor who was 15 when the grand ship sank April 14, 1912. Joey is hoping the signature will boost its appeal -- and value.
"It's for a really good cause," said the red-haired Joey who, like Kate Shelley, is an eighth-grader at Tome School in North East.
"It's not just to help Kate's mom, but so other people can be helped, too," he said, hoping that the auction will create a heightened awareness about the need for bone marrow donors.
Dozens of bids have been submitted from around the country, including one for $500, he said.
Joey, who has been a Titanic enthusiast for several years, purchased the souvenir in 1993 for $100 at a New Jersey card show that he attended with his parents. When a local paper wrote about Mary Shelley's health problems, Joey's mother, who runs Mary L. Martin Ltd. in Perryville, considered donating antique cards from her shop.
"Joey jumped right in and said he had a better card," said Mary Russell. "He doesn't usually give up anything from his collection, so we were really surprised. We are very proud of him."
Kate Shelley said her mother left her job as a nurse at Mercy Medical Center after her illness was diagnosed about a year ago. A single mother of five, Mary Shelley needs $80,000 to pay costs that her insurance does not cover. Mary Shelley was too ill to be interviewed, but Kate said her mother is overwhelmed by Joey's generosity.
"He didn't really find out until last month, and he right away offered to do this," Kate said. "Some people say that they are your friends, but when someone does something like this, it shows you what friendship is really about."
Harford County residents also are trying to raise money through barbecues and other events.
The card -- which displays an artist's black and white rendering of the Titanic and was produced the same year the ship went down -- was signed by survivor Edith Haisman in 1996. Joey met Haisman while aboard a cruise sponsored by a company seeking to raise part of the Titanic.
Bill Martin, Joey's uncle who accompanied him on the cruise, said Haisman shared vivid memories of the voyage and recalled her last glimpse of her father going down with the ship as he looked at his pocket watch and lighted a cigarette.
On their cruise, Martin said, Haisman was presented with her father's pocket watch, which had been recovered on the ocean floor. Haisman, who was 99 at the time of the cruise, died shortly after her 100th birthday, Martin said.
Tom Ostrander, an appraiser with O'Neill Auctioneers and Appraisers in Forest Hill, said he could not assess an exact value without examining the card and doing research. But he said the card probably is much more valuable because of the signature and the movie's popularity.
To bid on the postcard, call 410-642-3521 or 1-800-899-9887.
Donations can be made to the Mary Shelley Transplant Fund, Attention: Beverly Cox, First National Bank of North East, 14 S. Main St., North East 21901.
Pub Date: 4/15/98
