A gold watch presented to the engineer of a steamship which rescued more than 700 passengers from the Titanic sold for £60,700 after a bidding war in Kent today <April 22>.
On the rostrum in Penshurst, auctioneer Charles Hanson told the packed saleroom he was selling “a piece of history.”
With interested parties from around the world, including America, it sold to a private buyer in West Yorkshire who wished to remain anonymous.
Charles Hanson, owner said: “It was a wonderful result after would-be buyers slugged it out on the phone, internet and in the room.
“I was keenly aware that this was a piece of history, and we were delighted to be able to deliver it into the safe hands of its next delighted owner.”
John Richardson was the sixth engineer aboard the RMS Carpathia, a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger ship that rescued survivors from the Titanic’s lifeboats.
The Carpathia, on its way from New York for Europe, changed course after the ship’s wireless operator picked up the distress call “we’ve struck ice, come at once”.
It set off at full speed and reached the Titanic two hours after it had sunk in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, with the loss of 1,500 lives.
The 18-carat gold timepiece, hallmarked 1912, is engraved “Presented to J. Richardson as a mark of appreciation for conspicuous services rendered R.M.S. Titanic, 15th April 1912.”
The watch had come to light at a routine valuation in a house in Kent.
Justin Matthews, director of Hansons Auctioneers in Penshurst, said: “When I first saw the watch I knew it was a special gold pocket watch, but when I saw the inscription on the back – and that magic word ‘Titanic’ my hair stood on end. It was spine tingling to know its connections to one of the most famous, and tragic, events of the 20th century. It is an honour to offer it for sale.”
The watch, which had been part of Southampton Maritime Museum’s exhibition to mark the 80th anniversary disaster, hammered at £46,000, but with the inclusion of auction fees sold for a total of £60,700.
Richardson, then aged 26, was one of several engineers honoured by the Liverpool-based Carpathia Engineers’ Presentation Fund – whose founders believed the vital role the below deck crew played in the rescue had been woefully overlooked.
The engineers’ neglect was, they said, “a reproach which, in Liverpool at least, had to be wiped out.”
John Richardson was one of three engineers, with the others at sea, presented with the Hunter pocket watch at a ceremony on December 14, 1912, by the Mayor of Liverpool.
Justin Matthews continued: “While the captain of the Carpathia took most of the plaudits for the rescue of those 705 men, women and children adrift in the Titanic’s lifeboats, it was workers in the engine room, like John Richardson, who were high on the list of heroes. Their work wasn’t visible to passengers, or survivors, but without it, the rescue simply wouldn’t have happened.”
Justin Matthews continued: “Collectors and the public’s interest in the Titanic shows no sign of diminishing. In fact, on the contrary, even more than a 114 years later, recent prices achieved at auction testify to our ongoing fascination.”
Auction Details
Auction: The Penshurst April Auction including: Titanic Related Memorabilia, Property of Douglas Fairbanks Jnr Family, Silver, Jewellery, Watches & Fine Art
Auction date: 22nd April 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons’ Kent Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
