This summer, those lucky or wealthy enough might find themselves traveling domestically or even overseas. With gas prices soaring, prices for any major trip, particularly overseas, are sure to be higher than most can fathom. In that respect, a few things haven’t entirely changed in the last hundred years.
A century ago, you wouldn’t be flying quickly across the ocean. It wasn’t until 1927, a century ago next year, that Charles Lindbergh flew nonstop across the Atlantic. Prior to that, people had to travel by comparatively slow dirigible airship or seagoing vessel....
Surely, the most famous modern-day voyage was that of the ill-fated Titanic. Sailing from Southampton, England – the same port of departure as the Mayflower in 1620 – the Titanic departed on April 10, 1912. Titanic would hit an iceberg at 11:40PM on April 14 and sink to the bottom almost three hours later, at 2:20AM on April 15. Over 1,500 passengers died. Only 700 survived. Most of the ship’s crew perished.
The sinking made international headlines – some wrong. Hoping to “scoop” any other paper, that very day on April 15, the New York paper The World splashed an erroneous headline declaring “ALL SAFE” regarding the passengers. A day later, the more reliable Boston Globe correctly reported, “TITANIC SINKS, 1500 DIE.”
We humans surely have an undeniable penchant for the macabre, including collectibles. For instance, anyone who opted to save one of those actual newspapers about the Titanic and its demise owns something with a current value in the neighborhood of $2,000. That’s, assuming it’s genuine. Reproductions abound. Because newspapers at the turn-of-the-century were printed on highly acidic paper, over time, they yellow and becomes very brittle. Surviving genuine examples are few and far between.
Artifacts from the doomed Titanic are exponentially far rarer and more valuable. Some, including life jackets or deck chairs salvaged and saved, are coveted by maritime enthusiasts and collectors. One of the more notable items just went to auction and was snapped up.
That relic is a gold pocket watch. Manufactured by Patek Phillipe and sold by iconoclastic New York jeweler Tiffany & Co., the Tiffany pedigree alone and fact it is made of gold would normally make it valuable enough. However, as the initials “JJA” inscribed on the reverse attest, this timepiece was owned and carried by New York real estate mogul, John Jacob Astor, the richest passenger on the ship. In today’s dollars, Astor’s worth would be two to three billion dollars.
In a slightly scandalous situation, Astor, age 47, was on an extended European trip with his new and pregnant wife who was just 18. As the ship went down and people were loaded into lifeboats, Astor reportedly asked to join his wife in the boat because of her condition. Due to the “women and children only” edict, he was refused. It’s reported he then said to his wife, “I’ll see you in New York.”
The gold watch was recovered from Astor’s body found floating in the Atlantic. It, and a gold pencil case, were returned to the family. The watch was restored and used by family members for years.
Estimated to bring $300,000 to $400,000, Astor’s watch just sold for $800,000. The gold pencil case brought $160,000. Such sums are substantial but not record-breaking. Other Titanic memorabilia have brought equally astonishing amounts.
In 2015, one of the aforementioned deck chairs from the First-Class section sold at auction for $150,000. A life-jacket worn by first-class passenger Laura Francatelli sold last month for even more than the Astor watch. Her fabric-covered cork jacket was hammered down for $906,000.
A recovered paper menu for First-Class passengers sold for $83,000. Perhaps poetically, the violin, found in its case strapped to the body of Wallace Hartley, the bandleader who played as the ship sank, sold in 2013 for $1.7 million.
Another watch from the Titanic disaster is also more valuable than Astors. It was owned and found on the body of Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy’s department store. The gold pocket watch was a gift from his wife. As the ship sank, it’s said Straus turned down the offer of a seat on a lifeboat refusing to take priority over others. His wife wouldn’t leave his side. Witnesses reported seeing the couple sitting side by side on deck chairs as the ship sank. The recovered Straus watch sold last year for $2.3 million.
For those of us with more modest budgets than the Astors or Straus’s, an actually obtainable Titanic collectible is a small piece of coal recovered from the ship. In 1994, a load of coal was brought up from the wreck. Small pieces of it with a Certificate of Authenticity are now sold at the traveling Titanic exhibits or online for around $60. They can be a pretty cool and affordable piece of true history.
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