A gold pocket watch that belonged to Isidor Straus, a first-class passenger who died on the Titanic, has sold for £1.78 million at auction, setting a new record for Titanic memorabilia. The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen watch was a gift to Straus on his 43rd birthday in 1888.
The previous record was set last year when a pocket watch belonging to the captain of the rescue ship Carpathia sold for £1.56 million. The auction, held by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, also included a letter written by Ida Straus on Titanic stationery, which fetched £100,000, and a Titanic passenger list that sold for £104,000.
Isidor Straus, born in Bavaria in 1845, emigrated to the US and became a partner in Macy's department store. He and his wife Ida were among the 1,500 passengers who died when the Titanic sank in 1912. Reports say the couple were offered seats in lifeboats due to their age, but Straus declined, and Ida refused to leave him. They were last seen sitting on deckchairs together.
The auctioneer, Andrew Aldridge, said: 'The world-record price illustrates the enduring interest in the Titanic story. The Strauses were the ultimate love story, and this world-record price is testament to the respect that they are held in.' The total auction proceeds reached £3 million.
