A rare gold watch retrieved from the ill-fated RMS Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage, has been auctioned for a record price. According to international media reports, the watch belonged to John Jacob Astor IV (JJA), the wealthiest man aboard the Titanic at the time, and was found with his body after the disaster.
The British auction house Henry Aldridge & Son recently offered the precious timepiece of the unfortunate ship’s passenger for auction. During the auction held in the United Kingdom, the gold watch fetched a staggering 1.17 million pounds ($2.23 million), setting a new record for Titanic memorabilia.
The watch, engraved with the initials ‘JJA’ of John Jacob Astor, has become the highest-priced artifact from the 1912 shipwreck ever sold at auction. The previous record was held by a violin, which sold for 1.1 million pounds in 2013.
Also featured at the recent auction was the violin case of Wallace Hartley, the bandmaster of the Titanic, which sold for 290,000 pounds.
