John Jacob Astor, considered the Titanic’s richest passenger, was last seen smoking a cigarette amid the chaos of the sinking
One tycoon’s gold watch John Jacob Astorone of the victims of the sinking of the Titanic, will be auctioned in England. The auction house Henry Aldridge & Son, in charge of selling the object, believes that the piece will be sold for up to R$1 million.
Identified as the richest passenger on the ship, the American businessman, owner of a fortune estimated at US$87 millionone of the greatest of the time, was last seen smoking a cigarette as the Titanic sank in the Atlantic.
Moments before, he had placed his wife, Madeleine Talmage Astorin a lifeboat, but was prevented from boarding. Madeleine survived the disaster, and seven days after the sinking of the Titanic, the body of Astor was recovered in the ocean.
O American pocket watch was passed on to his son Vincent, 20 years old at the time, who restored the item in 14-karat gold. He wore the watch until 1935, when he presented it to his godson, William Dobbyn. In the 90s, a collector, whose identity is unknown, acquired the American’s family watch.
Auction
Along with the watch, a pair of gold cufflinks and John Jacob Astor’s first-class accommodation plan are also being auctioned, as reported by the Folha de Pernambuco website.
The transaction is handled by the auction house Henry Aldridge & Son, which specializes in Titanic artifacts. The auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described the watch as “one of the most remarkable items” from the Titanic they had ever found. Bids for the piece can be made until the 27th of this month.
It is a exquisite watch that is in excellent condition, which is not surprising considering who its original owner was. However, it spent seven days in the freezing waters of the Atlantic after the disaster and would almost certainly have stopped working and suffered all sorts of damage. It was obviously of great sentimental value to Vincent Astorwho restored and used it for the next 23 years,” he said. Andrew Aldridge.
