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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Caroline Davies

Pocket watch of business magnate who died in Titanic sinking to be auctioned

The face of John Jacob Astor’s 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch, engraved ‘JJA’ beside a black and white picture of Astor.
A composite of John Jacob Astor, pictured with his 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch, engraved ‘JJA’. Composite: Henry Aldridge & Son/Alamy

A gold pocket watch recovered from the body of the wealthy business magnate John Jacob Astor, who went down with the Titanic, is expected to fetch up to £150,000 at auction.

The 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch, engraved “JJA”, was found when Astor’s body was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean seven days after the sinking of the liner, which hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage to New York in 1912.

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