In One Ear: Memorabilia millions

Published 6:00 am Thursday, December 11, 2025

In November, a Titanic memorabilia auction at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, England, featured the gold pocket watch of Isidor Straus, a wealthy American businessman who died in the sinking of the ship. 

Straus’ refurbished watch, which was found on his body, remained in the family until the auction. It sold for $2.3 million, the highest a Titanic watch has fetched so far, even beating the price for the pocket watch of John Jacob Astor IV, great-grandson of Astoria’s namesake. Astor’s watch, which was also found on his body after the sinking, sold for $1.5 million. 

Incidentally, the November sale also included a letter from Straus’ wife, Ida, who refused to leave her husband’s side; the couple went down with the ship together, but her body was never found. The letter, written on Titanic stationery with a Titanic postmark, went for $131,000.

“Items like this keep the story alive,” Andrew Aldridge said about the watch and letter, “and bring us closer to the memory of one of the biggest tragedies of the 20th century.” (Photos: Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd.)

Note: The New York Times mentioned an awful twist of fate in an article about the auction: In 2023, Stockton Rush, husband of Wendy Rush, Isidor and Ida’s great-great-granddaughter, was killed (along with four others) while piloting the OceanGate submersible that imploded on its way down to the Titanic wreck site.