AuctionsNov 06, 2024
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Gold Watch Gifted to Titanic Rescue Ship Captain Sells for $2M
Three Titanic survivors presented him with the personalized Tiffany & Co. timepiece about a year after the tragedy.
RMS Carpathia Captain Arthur Rostron received this watch from three surviving widows inscribed with a heartfelt message.
New York—An 18-karat gold Tiffany & Co. pocket watch gifted to the captain of a ship that rescued hundreds of passengers and crew from the sinking Titanic has sold at auction for $1.97 million.
The timepiece belonged to steamship RMS Carpathia Captain Arthur Rostron, who changed course during a journey from New York to the Mediterranean after hearing distress calls from the Titanic in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, after it had hit an iceberg the night before.
He ultimately rescued more than 700 people.
A year or so later, Rostron was gifted the watch by three women who lost their husbands in the shipwreck, according to U.K.-based auction company Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd, which facilitated the sale.
The trio included the widow of John Jacob Astor IV, the richest man aboard the Titanic, famously depicted in James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic,” who made sure his then-pregnant wife made it into a lifeboat before he died alongside around 1,500 others.
The women presented him with the watch to recognize his courageous actions at Astor’s New York mansion on May 31, 1912.
The watch bears the inscription, “Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912 Mrs John B Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D Widener.”
The timepiece was sold to a private collector in the United States, said the auction house, attributing the information to U.K.-based PA Media.
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The timepiece belonged to steamship RMS Carpathia Captain Arthur Rostron, who changed course during a journey from New York to the Mediterranean after hearing distress calls from the Titanic in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, after it had hit an iceberg the night before.
He ultimately rescued more than 700 people.
A year or so later, Rostron was gifted the watch by three women who lost their husbands in the shipwreck, according to U.K.-based auction company Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd, which facilitated the sale.
The trio included the widow of John Jacob Astor IV, the richest man aboard the Titanic, famously depicted in James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic,” who made sure his then-pregnant wife made it into a lifeboat before he died alongside around 1,500 others.
The women presented him with the watch to recognize his courageous actions at Astor’s New York mansion on May 31, 1912.
The watch bears the inscription, “Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912 Mrs John B Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D Widener.”
The timepiece was sold to a private collector in the United States, said the auction house, attributing the information to U.K.-based PA Media.
The sale broke the previous record for a Titanic-related object sold at auction, also a pocket watch, which sold earlier this year for $1.49 million.
Fourth-generation auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, who operates the family-run auction business with his wife Chrissie, told the New York Times he guessed that Rostron’s timepiece, which likely sold for $20 or $30 when it was first purchased in 1912, would’ve normally achieved about $10,000 at a modern-day auction.
Andrew specializes in the sale of iconic collector’s items and is a leading authority in the valuation of Titanic memorabilia, according to the company’s website.
He thinks the fascination with the shipwreck is here to stay.
“The fact the world record price for Titanic memorabilia has been broken twice this year demonstrates the ever-decreasing supply and an ever-increasing demand for memorabilia related to the ship,” Andrew told CNN.
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