Titanic mug found in Staffordshire kitchen could sell for £2000

A mug made for first class passengers on the Titanic was discovered on a cluttered kitchen shelf.

The rare item, valued at £2,000, was discovered among a multitude of household clutter during a routine home visit by antiquities expert Charles Hanson.

Hanson, who regularly visits homes to view large collections, spotted the rare antique find on a shelf in a house in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

“I immediately spotted its distinctive design, pattern number R4332. These mugs were made for first-class passengers who set sail on the ill-fated liner,” said Hanson.

“The pattern was used on china designed for Titanic’s premier restaurant. This particular design may also have been used for room service in private promenade suites.

Created more than 100 years ago, the exclusive mug sat unnoticed between a mishmash of ceramic and glassware.

The mug, identifiable by its signature cobalt blue and gold-plated design inscribed ‘White Star Line’, was spotted among a variety of items being appraised for auction.

Manufactured by liner porcelain company Spode for Stoney & Co in Liverpool, it is expected to fetch up to £2,000 when it comes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers.

It’s also in nice condition apart from a small chip so strong demand is expected.

“Parts of this distinctive R4332 pattern were recovered from the site where the Titanic sank,” said Hanson.

“It is believed that Spode pattern R4332 was reserved exclusively for Titanic, and some items may have been presented at the time as corporate gifts or sold to wealthy passengers as White Starline souvenirs.”

This wasn’t the only mug from the collection that was recently spotted. Last month, another cup and saucer of the same design fetched £6,000, five times the expected price.

MORE : Unseen footage from the first dive to the Titanic wreck will be released tonight

MORE: Titanic Door raft experiment 25 years later, James Cameron admits Jack ‘possibly’ lived