In One Ear: Enduring appeal
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On Saturday, the gold pocket watch belonging to John Jacob Astor IV, great-grandson of Astoria’s namesake, and found on his body after the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, was auctioned off by Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd. in England.
The watch was expected to fetch between about $126,000 and $190,000 at auction, but wound up selling for the astonishing sum of close to $1.5 million, The Guardian reported.
Titanic bandmaster Henry Hartley’s violin case, which he strapped himself to when the ship was sinking, was sold at the same auction, and was expected to sell for between $124,000 and $149,000.
Once again, the public’s interest was greatly underestimated, as the case sold for almost $450,000. The violin that was in the case was sold in 1913 for about $1.3 million.
Titanic memorabilia “reflect not only the importance of the artifacts themselves and their rarity, but they also show the enduring appeal and fascination with the Titanic story,” Andrew Aldridge said. “A hundred and twelve years later, we are still talking about the ship and the passengers and the crew.” (Images: Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd./Léon Joseph Bonnat)
