For the first time since the Titanic tragedy in April 1912, the public will have an opportunity to own artifacts found with the remains of John Jacob Astor IV.
This month, Freeman’s will present the 18k gold Patek Philippe pocket watch sold by Tiffany & Co. and the 14k gold Battin & Co. pencil case owned by the American business magnate, real estate developer, and investor.
When the cable ship Mackay-Bennett recovered Astor’s body days after the luxury liner sank, the gold pencil case and watch were among the personal items found.
“These are among the most powerful personal artifacts connected to the Titanic,” said Reginald Brack, senior vice president, head of department, watches, at Freeman’s in a press release. “The watch and pencil were recovered from John Jacob Astor himself, carefully preserved by his family for more than a century, and now emerge with documented provenance across four generations.”
On April 14, 1912, four days after the Titanic left Cherbourg, France, the ocean vessel struck an iceberg. According to popular lore, Astor guided his 18-year-old pregnant bride, Madeleine, onto a lifeboat before asking an officer in charge if he could join his wife. When he was told that only women and children were boarding the lifeboats, Astor remained aboard.
The pocket watch and pencil case hit the auction block after the death of Charlene Marshall, a descendant of Astor. The watch is engraved with Astor’s monogram and accompanied by an extract from the archives of Patek Philippe, confirming its date of manufacture and sale date through Tiffany & Co.
(Photos courtesy of Freeman’s)
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