- Personal items found with the body of John Jacob Astor IV after the sinking of the Titanic include gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, money and a wallet.
- John Jacob Astor IV’s wife, Madeleine, survived the sinking of the Titanic, while Astor was one of approximately 1,500 people who died.
- In 1935, Vincent Astor gave the watch as a christening gift to his executive secretary’s son, William Dobbyn IV, and the Dobbyn family kept it until the 1990s when it was sold at auction.
- His family fortune was around £120 million.
A gold watch worn by John Jacob Astor IV, a member of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man on the Titanic, is to be sold at an auction of unique items from the ship. Astor was one of approximately 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg. His wife, Madeleine, survived, writes CNN.
The watch is among several notable items to be auctioned at Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, England, on Sunday.
The case of the famous Titanic bandleader’s violin that he played as the ship sank, and a wallet documenting the Titanic’s planned voyages, are among the auction’s “jewels”.
The violin sold for $1.7 million through the same auction house in 2013 and is the most valuable item ever sold from the Titanic.
The watch is expected to sell for between 100,000 and 150,000 pounds ($125,000-188,000) and the suitcase between 100,000 and 120,000 pounds ($125,000-150,000), according to Andrew Aldridge, managing director of to Henry Aldridge & Son auction house. The auction begins Sunday at 12:00 p.m. local (7:00 a.m. ET).
The watch was among the personal items found with Astor’s body after the sinking of the Titanic, according to the auction house. He also had gold cuffs, a diamond ring, money and a wallet, among others. After Astor’s body was recovered, those items were sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who completely restored the clock to working order. In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the son of Astor’s executive secretary, William Dobbyn IV.
The Dobbyn family kept the clock until the 1990s, when it was sold at auction. An anonymous collector in the United States bought the watch at that auction, and it has since been displayed in several museums. Aldridge said that “and so, millions of people have seen it, which is fabulous.”
Titanic’s gold buttons and first class plan are also featured in this auction. The buttons are expected to sell for £5,000 – £8,000 ($6,250-$10,000) and the plan for £20,000 – £30,000 ($25,000-$37,500).
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