A collectible linked to one of the most tragic events in maritime history has fetched a record price at a recent auction. The gold pocket watch, owned by John Jacob Astor, the richest passenger on the RMS Titanic, was sold for $1.5 million.
Historical provenance of the watch
The watch belonged to John Jacob Astor, a New York hotel magnate and the wealthiest person aboard the Titanic. Astor, who had a fortune estimated at $69 million at the time (about $9 billion today), perished in the shipwreck in 1912, at the age of 47. He had time to get his pregnant wife, Madeleine, to safety on a lifeboat before fate caught up with him.
- Astor’s body was found almost seven days after the sinking, wearing a blue suit and a brown flannel shirt, his watch with his initials ‘JJA’ stitched into his jacket.
- It is a 14 carat, 17 ruby Waltham pocket watch, which was later passed down to his son, William Vincent Astor, who used it until 1935 before giving it to his godson.
A record for Titanic memorabilia
The watch was sold at auction to Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire. It achieved the highest price ever recorded for a Titanic memorabilia. This price illustrates not only the value of the object, but also the enduring appeal and fascination with the story of the Titanic.
- This historic timepiece has been exhibited at renowned institutions such as the National Geographic exhibit in Washington DC and the Titanic Museum in Missouri, which prides itself on being the largest Titanic attraction in the world.
- Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge noted that each Titanic artifact tells one of the 2,200 personal stories of the passengers and crew, adding a human dimension to the tragedy.
Continued interest in the Titanic
The Titanic continues to capture the public imagination more than a hundred years after its tragic demise. Other items from the Titanic, such as another pocket watch and a unique necklace made from the tooth of a megalodon shark, were also auctioned, fetching significant sums and proving that the fascinating tale of this ship is far from forgotten.
With each auction of these precious memorabilia, the story of the Titanic is brought to life, remembering the lives intertwined in its tragic story. This pocket watch, sold for $1.5 million, is more than a collector’s item: it is a tangible piece of maritime history, evoking both the luxury of the era and humanity at the same time. heart of the disaster.
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