Auction in England: Golden pocket watch from “Titanic” passenger achieves document value | EUROtoday

As of: 02:27 a.m | Reading time: 2 minutes

Dhe gold pocket watch belonging to a Titanic passenger fetched a document value at public sale in Britain on Saturday. The piece, which as soon as belonged to millionaire John Jacob Astor, was auctioned on Saturday for 1.175 million kilos (about 1.4 million euros), the British information company PA reported. The highest bidder was a non-public collector from the USA.

According to the public sale home Henry Aldridge & Son, primarily based within the English county of Wiltshire, the watch is probably the most helpful “Titanic” memento ever auctioned. This title was beforehand held by a violin that was performed throughout the sinking and bought on the similar public sale home in 2013 for £1.1 million.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described the costs achieved for Titanic memorabilia as “absolutely incredible”, he instructed PA. They mirrored not solely the importance of the objects themselves, but in addition an ongoing fascination with the ship that sank in 1912.

Astor, believed to be the richest passenger on board, was final seen smoking a cigarette because the ship started to sink within the North Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg. He had beforehand helped his spouse Madeleine onto a lifeboat. She survived.

Astor's physique was discovered per week after the Titanic sank within the Atlantic on April 15, 1912. The watch along with his initials engraved was among the many private gadgets. According to the public sale home, the watch was absolutely restored after it was returned to the household and worn by Astor's son.