This Artifact From The Titanic Just Sold For A Massive $1.5 Million

Few historical events have fueled more cultural fascination than the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, which served as the inspiration for a massively popular 1997 film. Intrigue surrounding the maiden voyage of the doomed vessel as well as the influential passengers on board is still strong, as evidenced by the staggering sum one item recently fetched at auction.

“New house record”

While the Titanic’s guest list read like a who’s who of the wealthiest people in the world, none had a net worth that matched John Jacob Astor IV. The real estate developer was among the roughly 1,500 passengers who perished when the ship went down, but one of his prized possessions — a gold pocket watch — was recovered.

It went up on the auction block in England over the weekend and ultimately sold to an American collector for the equivalent of $1.5 million. The Henry Aldridge & Son auction house confirmed the sum set a “new house record.”

With an estimated net worth of $87 million, Astor was among the wealthiest people on earth at the time.

Historical accounts indicate that he assisted his wife onto a lifeboat, lit a cigarette, and went down with the ship, drowning at the age of 47. The watch was recovered when his body surfaced days later.

Popular collectibles

Almost anything directly associated with the Titanic can prove valuable at auction, though no such artifacts have been sold for more than Astor’s watch.

The previous record was set when a violin reportedly played by a musician on the ship as it sank sold for the equivalent of about $1.4 million. Notably, the case for the same violin was among the items up for auction on Saturday and went to a bidder who paid just under half a million bucks for it.

Chris Agee April 29th, 2024

Share this story: