The sale of the Titanic collection will nearly coincide with the 100th anniversary of the April 1912 sinking of the ocean liner, which hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

Guernsey's auction house president Arlan Ettinger tells The Associated Press it has sold Beatles photos and other treasures, but this is its most significant auction planned.

Items are to be sold in one lot and include a 17-ton section of the Titanic's hull and the stand the ship's wheel stood on.

The collection, including intellectual property, was appraised in 2007 at $189 million.