London. A gold watch that belonged to the richest passenger on the Titanic sold this Saturday for 1.17 million pounds sterling ($1.46 million) at an auction in the United Kingdom, reported the British house Henry Aldridge & Son.
An American buyer won the bid, smashing the previous estimate of between 100,000 and 150,000 pounds ($120,000 to $180,000).
The amount achieved exceeds the record achieved in 2013 for an object related to the famous ship that sank in the North Atlantic.
The auction house recalls that a violin was sold that year for 1.1 million pounds. In fact, the case of that musical instrument was also sold this Saturday for 360 thousand pounds (about 450 thousand dollars).
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, considered one of the richest men in the world at that time, with a fortune of 87 million dollars, equivalent to several billion today, died on the ship after helping his wife, Madeleine, board a lifeboat.
Astor’s body was found a week after the disaster, with the 14-karat gold pocket watch among his personal belongings.
“The watch was completely restored after being returned to Colonel Astor’s family and taken by his son,” said a statement from the auction house.
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– 2024-04-29 04:51:07
