Gold watch worn by richest passenger aboard Titanic to be sold at auction

A gold watch worn by John Jacob Astor IV, a member of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man aboard the Titanic, will go up for sale at an auction of memorabilia from the doomed ship.

Astor was one of around 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg. His pregnant wife, Madeleine, survived.

The watch is among a number of notable items on offer at auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, England, on Saturday, including the valise that held the violin famously played by the band leader as the ship sank, and a pocketbook that documents the Titanic’s scheduled voyages.

The violin itself was sold for $1.7 million via the same auction house in 2013 and is the highest-selling item from the ship ever.

The watch is expected to sell for between USD$125,000-$188,000 and the valise for between $125,000-$150,000

The watch was among the personal effects found with Astor’s body after the Titanic sank, according to the auction house.

Source: CNN