An gold pocket watch that belonged to a passenger who died on the Titanic has sold at £1.78million at auction, passing all previous sales of memorabilia from the ill-fated vessel.
The 18-carat timepiece exceeded the former record of £1.56million, the price of a different gold pocket watch, which was presented to the captain of a ship that rescued more than 700 passengers from the liner.
The record breaking Jules Jurgensen watch was the property of Isidor Straus, who received the engraved timepiece as a 43rd birthday present in 1888.
It coincided with his appointment as partner at the famous New York department store Macy’s.
Mr Straus and his wife Ida’s fate became famous after their final moments were depicted in James Cameron’s multi-Academy Award winning 1997 film showing them embracing as the vessel sank.
On that fateful April night in 1912, when offered a lifeboat seat because of his age, Mr Straus declined, stating he wouldn’t board while younger men remained on the ship.
Ida Straus chose to stay with her husband of 41 years, and witnesses last spotted them seated together on deck chairs as disaster unfolded.
The couple were amongst the handful of first-class passengers who died in the catastrophe which claimed 1,500 lives.
A letter written by Mrs Straus on Titanic stationery and posted while onboard the ship
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HANDOUT VIA PA
Mr Straus’s body was later recovered, along with the watch and other personal belongings, which were subsequently returned to his relatives.
The timepiece had remained within the Straus family for generations before being offered for sale at Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire, on Saturday.
Additional Titanic artefacts commanded substantial prices at the same event, with a letter penned by Mrs Straus on ship’s stationery achieving £100,000.
A passenger list from the voyage fetched £104,000, whilst a gold medal presented to RMS Carpathia crew members by grateful survivors realised £86,000.
The gold pocket watch recovered from the couple has sold for almost £2million
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HANDOUT VIA PA
The complete collection of Titanic-related items generated £3million in total sales.
In her letter, composed on Titanic letterhead, Mrs Straus praised the vessel’s opulence, writing: “What a ship!
“So huge and so magnificently appointed.
“Our rooms are furnished in the best of taste and most luxurious.”
Isidor Straus was born to a Jewish family in Otterberg, Bavaria, in 1845 and immigrated to America with his relatives in 1854.
Shortly before the fatal voyage, the couple had travelled to Jerusalem aboard RMS Caronia in January 1912, then boarded the Titanic at Southampton for their return to America.
Andrew Aldridge, the auctioneer, said: “The world record price illustrates the enduring interest in the Titanic story.
“Every man, woman and child passenger or crew had a story to tell and they are told 113 years later through the memorabilia.”
He added: “The Strauses were the ultimate love story, Ida refusing to leave her husband of 41 years as the Titanic sank, and this world record price is testament to the respect that they are held in.”
