A gold pocket watch found on the Titanic’s wealthiest passenger will be auctioned.
John Jacob Astor, 47, was last seen on the sinking ship, smoking and chatting. Recovered a week later, his body had the watch engraved with ‘JJA’.
Estimated to sell for £100,000 to £150,000, the auction will take place in Wiltshire on Saturday.
Astor, worth $87m then (equivalent to billions now), initially dismissed the danger but later helped his wife onto a lifeboat before perishing near the sinking.
Passed down to Astor’s son, the watch holds a unique place in Titanic’s history, says auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
