Gold Watch of Wealthiest Titanic Victim Sells at Auction for €1.4 Million
The golden pocket watch that belonged to the richest passenger on the Titanic, businessman John Jacob Astor, was sold to a private collector from the USA at the Henry Aldridge & Son auction in the UK for €1.4 million. During the disaster, Astor helped his wife to safety by placing her in a lifeboat but perished himself, reports The Guardian.
The final auction price exceeded the initial asking price by six times. Thus, John Astor's gold watch became the most expensive Titanic artifact ever sold at auctions. Previously, the record value was held by a violin played by one of the musicians during the sinking, which fetched nearly €1.3 million.
"The prices of items from the liner reflect not only the significance of the artefacts and their rarity but also demonstrate the enduring allure and fascination with Titanic history. 112 years later, we are still talking about the ship, its passengers, and crew. Each man, woman, and child had their own story to tell, and the memorabilia tells those stories today," noted auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
John Jacob Astor, who was 47 at the time of the tragedy, was a prominent figure in the Astor family and was considered one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. His net worth was estimated at approximately $87 million at the time, equivalent to several billion dollars today.
The Gaze previously reported that the doors from the final scene of James Cameron's film "Titanic," on which the main heroine Rose, played by Kate Winslet, is saved, were sold at the "Hollywood Treasures" auction for $718,000, which is 18 times the starting price.
The improvised rescue raft became part of the iconic final scene where Rose survives using it for rescue, while Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, perishes, freezing in the cold water. Although this prop is typically referred to as doors, auctioneers explained that it's actually a special construction that is part of a door frame located above the entrance to the first-class salon on the Titanic.