One 14 carat gold watcha relic that belonged to American businessman John Jacob Astor, the richest passenger on the Titanic, was auctioned this Saturday (27), for 900 thousand pounds sterling (R$5.7 million), according to the BBC. According to Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd., organizer of the event, bidding started at 60 thousand pounds.
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In addition to being the richest passenger aboard the Titanic, John Jacob Astor was considered one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of US$87 million at the time. He was on the transatlantic with his new wife, with whom he was traveling around Europe, and died in the sinking. The watch was found in his coat pocket.
Initially, the item remained with Vincent, Astor’s son. Years later, it was given to his father’s executive secretary, William Dobbyn, as a gift and symbol of gratitude and respect for his continued support of the family. After restorations, the watch was put up for auction.
“Simply the most important Titanic watch in existence. Colonel JJ Astor’s gold watch that traveled with him on the Titanic. This exceptional piece of history will be sold this Saturday,” said Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd.
Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd is responsible for several auctions of Titanic items. In November last year, for example, the house sold a rare menu from the first class restaurant for £85,000 – more than R$500,000. The design of the liner used during the investigation into the sinking was auctioned shortly before.
Titanic tragedy
The famous RMS Titanic began construction in 1909, being designed to be the most luxurious and safe ship of the time. The vessel, however, sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, three days after leaving on its maiden voyage. The tragedy occurred after the ship collided with an iceberg, which broke open parts of the vessel’s hull.
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As there were only lifeboats for half of the passengers, the accident resulted in the death of 1,500 people, who fell into the almost frozen water. Experts say that some of the people died almost instantly from acute heart attacks caused by the stress of the shipwreck, while others died from hypothermia. In total, more than 1,100 bodies were never found.
