The sale of a gold watch discovered on the body of the wealthiest passenger aboard the Titanic set a new record for an item associated with the tragic 1912 shipwreck. The watch, which bore the initials JJA, belonged to American tycoon John Jacob Astor. The buyer from the United States emerged victorious in the bidding war, surpassing the estimated price of £100,000 to £150,000 set by the auctioneers.
According to AFP, Astor perished after assisting his wife Madeleine onto one of the lifeboats. Remarkably, Madeleine survived the catastrophe. Astor’s body was located a week following the tragedy, with his gold watch among his effects. After being restored and returned to Colonel Astor’s family, it was then worn by his son. The watch was sold at an auction in England for a whopping £1.17 million ($1.46 million).
The amount broken records for an item associated with the tragic shipwreck as reported by Henry Aldridge & Son auction house on April 27th 2023 . It is worth noting that John Jacob Astor was only 47 years old when he passed away during this historic event on April 15th 1912 while madeleine survived it
