Rare cup and saucer from Titanic found in Sutton Coldfield home sold at auction for £6,000

A coffee cup and saucer from the Titanic, found during a house clearance in Sutton Coldfield, have sold at auction for a whopping £6,000.

Rare china, which was created for first class passengers aboard the Titanic, was discovered during a house clearance in Four Oaks in Sutton Coldfield.

The Spode coffee cup and saucer were produced in 1911 and both are marked ‘White Star Line’ - the British shipping company which ran the RMS Titanic.

The opulent pattern of gilt and cobalt blue is believed to have been used in Titanic’s first class restaurant.

The well of the saucer bears a gilt monogram for the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company and the cup is stamped ‘Stonier & Co Liverpool’ – the agents which facilitated the deal between Spode and the shipping company.

The items were expected to fetch £800 to £1,200 at auction in Lichfield in Staffordshire, but with interest from all over the world, they finally sold for £6,000 to a bidder in the USA.

Sarah Williams, senior valuer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, said: “Discovered during a house clearance in the Four Oaks area, the Spode demitasse coffee cup and saucer in luxurious cobalt blue and gilt were produced around 1911 and both pieces are marked ‘White Star Line’.

“Crucially they also bear the pattern number R4332.

“This opulent pattern is believed to have been used in Titanic’s first class restaurant but some experts suggest it was produced in such limited numbers that it may only have been used for room service on private promenade suites.”

The RMS Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic after sideswiping an iceberg.

It was the ship's maiden voyage, from Southampton to New York City.

Of the 2,240 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives in the disaster.