Watch Owned by Richest Titanic Passenger Expected to Fetch Huge Sum at Auction
Several of his possessions can be yours.
Traveling on the Titanic was a luxury experience, and there were many families on board the doomed ship that came from a well-to-do background. John Jacob Astor IV, a business magnate and member of the wealthy Astor family, was the richest passenger aboard the ship and was even featured in James Cameron's 1997 hit movie. Now, some of Astor's personal effects can be yours—for a price.
On April 27, U.K. auction house Henry Aldridge & Son is auctioning off several of Astor's belongings, some of which were found on his person after the ship sank. This includes a gold pocket watch, gold cufflinks, and a pocketbook. The watch itself is a precious piece of art and is expected to sell for between £100,000 and £150,000 ($125,000–$188,000).
The timepiece, called "quite simply the most important Titanic watch in existence," by Aldridge, has switched hands a few times over the years. According to the auction house, Astor's son Vincent Astor had it restored and in 1935 he gave it to his dad's executive secretary William Dobbyn IV as a christening gift for his new baby. The watch remained in the Dobbyn family until the late 1990s when it went to auction. An anonymous buyer in the U.S. bought the watch back then and is the current seller now. Over the past few decades, the piece of history has been displayed in several museums. "So, you know, over the course of its time, quite literally millions of people have viewed it, which is fabulous,” Aldridge told CNN.
Besides the watch, Astor’s cufflinks and a plan of the Titanic’s first-class accommodation are also up for auction. The cufflinks can go for between £5,000 and £8,000 ($6,250-$10,000) and the accommodation plan is expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000 ($25,000-$37,500). There are also other Titanic items for sale like the valise that held the violin played by the band leader as the ship sank, which should go for £100,000–£120,000 ($125,000-$150,000) and a pocketbook detailing all of the Titanic's planned voyages.
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If you're interested in owning a piece of history, bidding begins at 7 a.m. ET on April 27.