A gold pocket watch given to the captain of the British boat that rescued more than 700 passengers from the Titanic has sold for a record 1.56 million pounds ($1.97 million) at auction.
The 18-carat Tiffany & Co timepiece was given to Sir Arthur Rostron, then captain of the passenger liner RMS Carpathia, which he rescued.
Wiltshire-based auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son said it was the highest ever paid for Titanic memorabilia, and that it had been bought by a private collector in America.
It added that the sale reflects “sustained interest” with the ill-fated ocean liner.
Sir Arthur had changed course to the Carpathia, which was sailing from New York to Europe, when the ship’s wireless operator picked up the distressing call “We’ve got ice, come at once”.
It set sail at full speed and reached the Titanic on April 15, 1912, two hours after sinking in the North Atlantic.
The watch was given to Sir Arthur by the widow of Titanic’s richest man, John Jacob Astor, and two other widows of wealthy businessmen who were lost when the ship hit an iceberg and broke up – with more than 1,500 aboard. Passengers lost their lives. The staff
It reads “Captain Rostron is presented with heartfelt thanks and appreciation by the three survivors of the Titanic on April 15, 1912 Mrs. John B. Thayer, Mrs. John Jacob Astor and Mrs. George D. Widener”.
According to the auction house, Sir Arthur received the gift from Mr Astor’s wife over lunch at the family’s mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
“It was mainly offered as a thank you for Rostron’s bravery in saving those lives, because without Mr Rostron, those 700 people could not have done it,” said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
The previous Titanic memorial record was set in April when a gold pocket watch was recovered from Mr Astor’s body. Sold for £1.175 million. In a home based on the same device.
Previously, a violin played after the ship sank held the record for the highest price paid for Titanic artefacts for 11 years. Selling for £1.1m in 2013..
Mr Aldridge said the fact that the record had been broken twice this year showed an “ever-shrinking supply and ever-increasing demand” for ship-related memorabilia.
