A cup produced for first class passengers on the Titanic was discovered on a cluttered kitchen shelf.
The rare item worth £2,000 was discovered among a host of household clutter on a routine home visit by antiques expert Charles Hanson.
Hanson, who regularly visits houses to assess large collections, spotted the rare antique find on a shelf on a house in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
‘I immediately spotted its distinctive design featuring pattern number R4332. These cups were made for first-class passengers who set sail on the ill-fated liner,’ said Hanson.
‘The pattern was used on china created for Titanic’s first-class restaurant. This particular design may also have been used for room service on private promenade suites,’
The exclusive cup produced more than 100 years ago, lay unnoticed among a mish-mash of pottery and glassware.
Recognised by its signature cobalt blue and gilt design, marked ‘White Star Line’, the cup was spotted among a host of items being assessed for auction.
Made by Liner china firm Spode for Stoney & Co in Liverpool, is expected to fetch up to £2,000 when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers.
It’s also in pretty Its condition, apart from a small chip, so it’s expected to spark strong demand.
‘Pieces of this distinctive pattern R4332 have been recovered at the site of where the Titanic sank,’ said Hanson.
‘It’s thought the Spode pattern R4332 was exclusively reserved for the Titanic and some items may have been presented at the time as a company gift or sold as White Starline souvenirs to wealthy passengers,’
This wasn’t the only cup from the collection to be discovered recently. Last month, another cup and saucer of the same design sold at auction for £6,000, five times the expected price.
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