Ugh the lore of the Titanic was on fire this week. John Jacob Astor IV, whose family’s name is one half of the Waldorf Astoria, was the wealthiest man aboard the Titanic when it sank in 1912.
Astor had helped his wife and maid into a life boat and reassured her he would follow in another boat when men were allowed to board. He ended up going down with the ship. In the week following his body was recovered from the water and his possessions cataloged and returned to his wife.
Over a century later that watch came to auction with an expected sale price of $150,000. It sold for 10 times that amount at $1,500,000.
The 14-karat gold Waltham pocket watch engraved with Astor’s initials was purchased by a private collector in the U.S., according to Henry Aldridge and Son.
Other Titanic items sold at the most recent auction included the valise that held the famous violin sold years prior and a pocketbook with documents on the ship’s scheduled voyages.