A chipped teacup made for Titanic's first class passengers has fetched thousands at auction after it was found gathering dust on a kitchen shelf.
At over a century old, the blue and gilded cup marked "White Star Line" appears to have escaped its fate at the bottom of the North Atlantic, having been originally meant to serve tea for the ill-fated liner's highest-paying guests.
Instead, the antique was discovered on a cluttered shelf by a man clearing out his late-father's house, having no idea of its value.
But after a routine home visit by an eagle-eyed auctioneer who noticed the significance of the branding, the teacup has gone on to fetch £3,200 - more than three times its estimated value.
A batch number on the cup confirmed it had been made for the Titanic ahead of its doomed 1912 maiden voyage, having been made by Liverpool pottery Spode.
Its owner, a 61-year-old man from Derby who has chosen not to be named, said he discovered the teacup after his dad's death five years ago, although has no idea how it came into his possession.
"My guess is somebody gave it to him as a gift," said the retired Rolls Royce worker.
"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 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.”
It comes after the Titanic was once again thrusted into the headlines this week, after scientists unveiled the first ever full-sized 3D scan of the liner as it is now, buried 13,000ft down.
Haunting images now show the inside of the wreck right down to details such as passengers' shoes and even champagne bottles.
Charles, 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 china 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 Starline souvenirs.
"Ceramic pieces bearing the pattern R4332 have been recovered from the site of where the Titanic sank."
Titanic, heralded as the time as "unsinkable", hit an iceberg on April 15, 1912, after setting off on its journey from Southampton to New York.
More than 1,500 of 2,224 passengers on board lost their lives, the vast majority of which were from the ship's second and third classes.
