The gold watch of the richest passenger on board the Titanic, John Jacob Astor IV, was sold at auction for a record $1.485 million. This was reported by UNN with reference to CNN.
Details
According to the publication, the watch was sold at auction ten times more expensive than the expected price of 126-190 thousand dollars.
According to Andrew Aldridge, director of the Henry Aldridge and Son auction house, the price at which the watch was sold set "a new world record for Titanic memorabilia.
According to the auction house, the watch was among the personal belongings found with Astor's body after the sinking of the Titanic. John Astor also carried gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, money, and a pocketbook. These items were later sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who had the watch repaired.
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The watch was one of the most prominent items offered the day before at Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, England. Other items included a suitcase containing a violin played by the ship's bandleader during the sinking of the Titanic, and a pocket book documenting the ship's travel schedule.
Addendum
According to auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, Astor was considered one of the richest men in the world at the time of the Titanic disaster, with a fortune of about $87 million, equivalent to several billion dollars today .
It is known that the wife of the businessman who died on April 15, 1912, survived, and her husband's body was recovered near the shipwreck.
Recall
The grave in Westwood Village Cemetery, next to the resting places of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner, was sold at auction for $195,000 to a tech investor.