A gold pocket watch recovered from the wealthiest passenger aboard the Titanic fetched a staggering £1.2 million ($1.46 million), setting a new record for Titanic memorabilia sales.
The watch, once owned by businessman John Jacob Astor who died with the ship in 1912 at 47, was acquired by a private collector in the US at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, during an auction on Saturday.
This breaks the previous record of £1.1 million paid for a violin played during the Titanic’s sinking, also sold by the same auction house in 2013.
A representative for the auction house mentioned that the £1.2 million ($1.46 million) price tag for the pocket watch covered all fees and taxes borne by the purchaser.
Similarly, the case for the violin was also sold at the same auction for £360,000, inclusive of fees and taxes.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge expressed to the PA news agency that the prices achieved for the Titanic memorabilia during the sale were “absolutely incredible”.
He said: “They reflect not only the importance of the artefacts themselves and their rarity but they also show the enduring appeal and fascination with the Titanic story.
“112 years later, we are still talking about the ship and the passengers and the crew. The thing with the Titanic story, it’s effectively a large ship hits an iceberg with a tragic loss of life, but more importantly is 2,200 stories,” he added.
Rather than trying to get on another lifeboat, John Jacob Astor, who was from a wealthy family, was last seen chatting and smoking. A week later, his body was found in the ocean, along with his fancy gold pocket watch.
Aldridge said: “Astor is well known as the richest passenger [on] board the RMS Titanic and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of roughly $87m – equivalent to several billion dollars today.
“At 11.40pm on 14 April 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and started to take on water,” he said.
“At first, Astor did not believe the ship was in any serious danger, but later it was apparent she was sinking and the captain had started an evacuation after midnight, so he helped his wife into lifeboat 4,” he added.
Madeleine Astor lived through the disaster, and her husband’s body was found close to where the Titanic sank on April 22nd.
Vincent Astor, John Jacob Astor’s son, passed the watch to William Dobbyn, the son of his father’s executive secretary.
### Insight:
– The enduring appeal of Titanic memorabilia showcases the ongoing fascination with the tragic story of the Titanic and its passengers.
– John Jacob Astor’s wealth and prominence have contributed to the significance of the recovered gold pocket watch.
– The restoration of historical artifacts like the pocket watch allows us to connect with and remember the individual stories from significant events like the Titanic disaster.
