A gold pocket watch once owned by one of the first-class passengers of the Titanic, which sank with the liner, was sold for the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia — £1.78 million (approximately $2.3 million) — at an auction, The Guardian reported.
The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen engraved watch belonged to Isidor Straus, 67, who was on board the liner with his wife, Ida Straus. Both became victims of the disaster, in which more than 1,500 passengers perished, and were among the first-class travelers to die. The elderly couple was reportedly offered seats in a lifeboat during the accident, but Mr. Straus refused to accept a seat ahead of others; his wife chose not to leave him.
The auction, held by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, England, on Nov. 22, set a new Titanic memorabilia record. This lot surpassed the previous top sale: last year’s gold pocket watch, owned by Arthur Rostron, captain of the RMS Carpathia, who helped save over 700 passengers. That watch sold for £1.56 million (about $2 million).
Other items auctioned included a letter by Ida Straus on Titanic stationery, a passenger list, and a gold medal given to the RMS Carpathia crew. Altogether, Titanic memorabilia from the auction reached £3 million (about $3.9 million).
Furthermore, the Straus couple’s story was immortalized in James Cameron’s 1997 Titanic, where they are portrayed embracing each other as the ship sinks.
Previously, Kursiv.media reported that a letter and a diary by Titanic’s «real Jack Dawson» were also listed at the auction.
