The sale of a gold watch that belonged to the wealthiest passenger on the Titanic for 1.36 million euros at an auction in the United Kingdom has set a new record for an item from the sunken ship. This amount surpassed the previous record, set in 2013 when a violin was sold for almost 1.3 million euros. Today, the case of that musical instrument was sold for 425,000 euros.
The gold watch, engraved with the initials JJA, belonged to American businessman John Jacob Astor, who was one of the richest men in the world at the time of the Titanic sinking in 1912. With a fortune of 87 million dollars, equivalent to several billion today, Astor tragically perished on the ship after helping his wife into a lifeboat. His body was found a week later, with the 14-karat gold pocket watch among his personal effects.
The sale of this historic artifact highlights the ongoing fascination with the Titanic tragedy and the stories of its passengers. The auction was held at Henry Aldridge & Son and saw an American buyer win the bid, which exceeded