A gold pocket watch found with the body of John Jacob Astor, the richest passenger on the doomed Titanic, was sold for a record price of 1.175 million pounds (nearly 1.5 million USD). .
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Auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in the town of Devizes in Wiltshire County, England, sold the above watch to a private collector in the US for the highest amount ever for child-related memorabilia. Titanic ship. The 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch is engraved with the letters JJA.

Mr. John Jacob Astor, 47 years old, sank with the Titanic on April 15, 1912 after helping his wife get on a lifeboat. Instead of trying his luck with another lifeboat, the wealthy businessman was seen smoking and chatting with another passenger on the ship during the final moments as the ship was sinking. His body and gold watch were found 7 days after the Titanic sank. The Titanic crashed into an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton Port (UK) to New York City (USA).

According to auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, Mr. Astor was said to be one of the richest people in the world at the time the Titanic crashed, possessing a net worth of about $87 million – equivalent to several billion dollars today.