A gold pocket watch that belonged to the richest man who traveled on the Titanic is being sold at auction, DPA reported. It could be worth up to £150,000 ($187,743).
Businessman John Jacob Astor died at the age of 47 when the Titanic sank in 1912. His wife was rescued.
Instead of evacuating on one of the lifeboats, the prominent member of the wealthy Astor family was last seen smoking a cigarette and talking to another passenger.
His body was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean seven days later and a fine 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch engraved with the initials JJA was found in his clothing.
The watch is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000. It was sold at the auction house “Henry Aldridge & Son” on Saturday last week.
“Astor is known as the richest passenger on board the Titanic and is believed to be among the wealthiest people in the world at the time, with a net worth of approximately $87 million, which equates to several billion dollars today,” said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
“Shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to fill with water. At first Astor did not believe the ship was in serious danger, but later it became clear that it was sinking and the captain began an evacuation . John helps his wife into lifeboat number 4,” added the auctioneer.
Mrs. Astor survived, and her husband’s body was recovered on April 22, not far from the sinking site.
“The watch has been fully restored. It was returned to Mr. Astor’s family and was worn by his son. It is a unique piece of Titanic history,” Aldridge added.
Illustrative Photo by Fredrick Eankels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/stylish-gold-vintage-watch-with-chain-4082639/
