A significant sale at auction
A golden pocket watch that belonged to Isidor Straus, a passenger on the ill-fated Titanic, was sold at auction this past weekend for an impressive $2.3 million.
The British auction house Henry Aldridge & Son facilitated the sale, marking it as the highest price ever paid for Titanic-related memorabilia.
This record surpasses a previous one set in 2024 when a watch given to the captain of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued Titanic survivors, fetched $1.97 million.
Straus received this 18-karat gold timepiece as a birthday gift from his wife, Ida, on his 43rd birthday. The watch was later recovered from his body after the tragedy and remained within his family until its recent sale, according to Henry Aldridge & Son.
Henry Aldridge & Son is recognized as a leading authority in Titanic memorabilia. Mr. Aldridge expressed pride in their role as a premier destination for iconic collectibles of this nature, stating, “Every man, woman and child passenger or crew had a story to tell… I’m delighted that we remain the ‘go-to’ saleroom for iconic collectables of this type.”
Straus and his wife perished together when the Titanic sank in 1912. Despite being first-class passengers, they declined seats on lifeboats. Witnesses reported seeing them holding hands on deck before being swept away by waves.
In addition to co-owning Macy’s with his brother Nathan, Straus also served briefly in Congress as a Democrat representing New York during the 1890s but chose not to seek reelection afterward.
