One clock of gold that belonged to the richest passenger in the world Titanic was purchased last Saturday, 27th, for 1.17 million pounds sterling (about R$7.47 million), in a auction in the United Kingdom, reported the British house Henry Aldridge & Son.
An American won the dispute, paying well above the previous estimate for the item’s sales value, between 100,000 and 150,000 pounds (R$638,000 to R$957,000).
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The watch, engraved with the initials JJA, belonged to American businessman John Jacob Astor, who was 47 years old when the Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912.
Astor was considered one of the richest men in the world at that time, with a fortune of US$87 million. He died in shipafter helping his wife, Madeleine, into a lifeboat.
Astor’s body was found a week after the disaster, with his pocket watch gold 14 carats among his personal belongings.
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“The watch has been completely restored after being returned to Colonel Astor’s family and taken by his son,” auction house Henry Aldridge & Son said in a statement.
The Titanic sank in the north Atlantic after hitting an iceberg. Around 1,500 passengers died and 700 were rescued.
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The value obtained by the gold watch beats the record reached in 2013 for an object related to the famous ship, says the auction house. This year, a violin was also sold for 1.1 million pounds (about R$7.02 million). The instrument case was sold this Saturday, for 360 thousand pounds (R$ 2.3 million). /AFP
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