One small, chipped cup found on a kitchen shelf has sold for thousands of pounds at auction.
The cup, spotted by an eagle-eyed antiques expert at a house in Burton-on-Trent, Staffs, turned out to be from a range of ceramics made exclusively for ill-fated ship Titanic more than a century ago.
It went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in May with a guide price of £800-£1,200 but sold for £3,200 – three times its estimate – much to the delight of the seller.
The vendor, a 61-year-old retired Rolls-Royce worker from Derby, said: “I found the cup when I was clearing out my late parents’ house. I lost my dad five years ago and my mum just before Christmas. The cup had been stuck in the attic for years.
“I have no idea how dad came to own something that valuable. My guess is someone gave it to him as a gift. He sold groceries and was always doing favours for his customers.
“I found it in the attic and bought it down into the kitchen along with other items I wanted to have valued. I am grateful to Hansons for spotting its potential.
“I was delighted with the result. When the cup went under the hammer I was at a London museum with my family. I was trying to watch the auction on my phone but the fire alarm when off. We had to evacuate and, as we walked out, we were cheering because the price kept going up and up.
“I was amazed by the media interest too. The Titanic cup even got a mention on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.”
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “This fabulous find just sailed away at auction. I was thrilled for our client. The cup took my eye, and that of fellow Hansons’ antiques expert Katy Beardmore. A swift examination during a house visit confirmed my hopes. It was an example of a cup from a tableware range made for the Titanic more than 100 years ago.
“The cup, which has a distinctive cobalt blue and gilt design, was made by Liner china firm Spode for Stoney & Co in Liverpool. Its pattern number R4332 indicated that it was made for first-class passengers.
“It lacked its saucer but would have been made around 1911, a year before the doomed ship set sail. It was marked ‘White Star Line’ and ‘Spode Copeland’s China England’. The pattern was used on ceramics in the Titanic’s first-class restaurant. It may also have been used for room service in private promenade suites.
“Of course, this survivor would not have set sail on the Titanic but some items may have been presented at the time as gifts or sold as White Star Line souvenirs. Ceramic pieces bearing the pattern R4332 have been recovered from the site where the Titanic sank.
The ship, which was said to be unsinkable, hit an iceberg on April 15, 1912, after setting off on its journey from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers on board lost their lives.
The Titanic cup was sold on May 10 in Hansons Auctioneers’ Travel and Exploration Auction.
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