John Jacob Astor IV Patek Philippe Watch and Battin and Co. Pencil Case from the TitanicFreeman'sFew maritime disasters have captured the cultural imagination as enduringly as the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Of the approximately 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 perished after the ship struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912.Among the victims were some of the most prominent figures of the era, including John Jacob Astor IV—widely believed to be the wealthiest passenger aboard and one of the richest men in the United States at the time. An American businessman, investor, inventor and author, Astor is perhaps best known for developing the Astoria Hotel in 1897, later incorporated into the Waldorf-Astoria.Freeman’s auction house said it will offer two personal items recovered from Astor’s body: an 18k gold Patek Philippe pocket watch retailed by Tiffany & Co., and a 14k gold pencil case by Battin & Co.The engraving on the caseback of the John Jacob Astor IV's Patek Philippe pocket watchFreeman’s Recovered in the days following the disaster, both objects have remained in continuous possession of the Astor family for more than 120 years and will be offered at auction for the first time. The pieces will be sold as separate lots in Freeman’s Watches sale on April 22 in Chicago.MORE FOR YOU“These are among the most powerful personal artifacts connected to the Titanic,” said Reginald Brack, senior vice president and head of watches at Freeman’s. “The watch and pencil were recovered from John Jacob Astor himself, carefully preserved by his family for more than a century, and now emerge with documented provenance across four generations.”John Jacob Astor IV’s Patek Philippe Pocket WatchThe 44mm 18k yellow gold timepiece, with a white enamel dial, carries an estimate of $300,000–$500,000. It was manufactured by Patek Philippe and retailed by Tiffany & Co. in 1904. According to Freeman’s, the dates are confirmed by an extract from the Patek Philippe archives included in the sale, as well as by leading horological experts.The case is numbered 235274 and the hand-wound movement 129029. The caseback is engraved with Astor’s monogram, “JJA.”John Jacob Astor IVFreeman’s “The gold Patek Philippe pocket watch he carried was a fitting possession for a figure of his stature during the height of the Gilded Age,” the auction house said.According to Freeman’s, the watch passed through successive generations of the Astor family as follows:Astor’s body and his effects are picked up by his son, Vincent Astor, and the executor of his estate, Nicholas Biddle, in 1912. Vincent wears the watch until his death in 1959. Brooke Astor, Vicent’s second wife inherits the watch and owns it from 1959–2007Brooke Astor's son, Anthony Marshall inherits the watch after her death in 2007 and owns until 2014Anthony Marshall’s wife, Charlene Marshall, inherits the watch after his death in 2014 until 2025. John Jacob Astor IV’s Battin & Co. Pencil CaseThe 14k yellow gold pencil case is set with two old European-cut diamonds and a round cabochon sapphire. It is engraved “Oct. 1906 J from M.” and carries an estimate of $10,000–$20,000.When Astor’s body was recovered by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett days after the sinking, several personal effects were found on his person, including a gold pocket watch, a gold pencil, gold cufflinks, a diamond ring and paper currency, according to the auction house.After more than a century in the Astor family, both items are now being offered from the estate of Charlene Marshall, following her death in August 2024.