Titanic's richest passenger's gold watch up for auction

Gold watch belonging to the wealthiest Titanic passenger likely to fetch record £150,000

By Web Desk
April 27, 2024
Richest man of Titanic will not see auction of his gold watch. — Unsplash/File

At a memorabilia auction of the sinking Titanic, a gold watch owned by John Jacob Astor IV, the richest man on board and a member of the Astor family, would be put up for bids.

Astor was among the approximately 1,500 individuals who perished when the Titanic struck an iceberg on April 15, 1912, causing it to sink. Notably, Madeleine, his expectant spouse, lived.

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The watch is one of many noteworthy objects up for auction on Saturday at Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, England.

John Jacob Astor's gold watch is expected to sell for between $125,000-$188,000. — Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd

Other items up for bid include a pocketbook that records the Titanic's scheduled excursions and the valise that contained the violin played by the band leader just before the ship sank.

The violin itself is the most popular piece from the ship ever, having sold for $1.7 million in 2013 through the same auction company.

“The watch is expected to sell for between £100,000 and £150,000 ($125,000-$188,000) and the valise for between £100,000-£120,000 ($125,000-$150,000),” according to Andrew Aldridge, the managing director of auction house Henry Aldridge & Son.

“Bidding begins on April 27 at midday local time (7am ET),” Aldridge told CNN.

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