Who were owners of gold pocket watch, violin bag sold at Titanic auction?

A variety of items were retrieved from the passengers and the wreckage of the Titanic, the ill-fated ocean liner which sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.

These items, as memorabilia of the sunken ship, are often auctioned for hefty prices.

An auction was organised on Saturday by auction house Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, England, where a gold pocket watch, a layout of the ocean liner and a violin bag were sold forhefty prices.

But who were the owners and how much did the items sell for?

Gold pocket watch, Titanic's layout

The gold pocket watch which was sold for a record-breaking sum of nearly $1.5 million belonged to the richest passenger aboard the Titanic, John Jacob Astor IV.

Astor, a New York businessman and real estate developer, 47, sank with the ship after helping his pregnant wife Madeleine onto a lifeboat.

According to Titanic folklore, when he was told he could not join his wife until all women and children had boarded lifeboats, he stepped back, lit a final cigarette and tossed his gloves to Madeleine.

His 14-carat heirloom was expected to sell for about $189,000 at auction, but went for a total of $1.485 million. 

The watch's casing is engraved with Astor's initials "JJA."

Additionally, his Titanic plan, showing the layout of the ocean liner was sold for $37,912.

Violin bag

The violin bag belonged to Wallace Hartley, which held the famous Titanic violin that the bandmaster played to comfort passengers as the ship sank. 

The bag was initially estimated to sell for around $150,000 but the auction house confirmed that the relic sold for $454,949 on Saturday.

The leather bag was found strapped to Hartley's body when it was recovered. 

The violin, the most valuable Titanic-related item in existence, is on display at the Titanic Belfast Museum.