The early 20th century artefacts fetched more than 20 times their pre-sale estimate
The set of three saucers that were made for passengers on the Titanic (Image: Cheffins Fine Art Auctioneers /PA Wire)
A set of three saucers which were “made especially” for first-class passengers on the Titanic, but never made it onto the ship, have reached a five-figure sum at auction.
The early 20th century artefacts fetched more than 20 times their pre-sale estimate of £1,000 to £2,000 at Cheffins Fine Art Auctioneers in Cambridge on Thursday, selling for £47,800 to California-based collector Tony Probst
The chinaware was manufactured around 1911, the year before the ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, claiming the lives of some 1,500 people.
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Mr Probst, who is originally from Forfar, Angus, and runs a business putting movie theatres into homes, said he plans to display the saucers to the public. He said: “The good news is that they are not going into a closet or a safe where no-one will ever see them. I have always felt that these artefacts should be shared.”
The 67-year-old, who is been a prolific collector of Titanic artefacts, continued: “For some silly reason, somewhere along the way I decided I was going to try to collect every piece of R4332 I could find. So when the saucers came up at Cheffins, I suppose I really didn’t have much choice!”
The set contained three Copeland Spode demitasse saucers and, according to auctioneers, it is thought there are only nine such Copeland Spode demitasse saucers still in existence. Bearing the gilt monogram for the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, the saucers are from pattern R4332.
Archives for homeware manufacturer Spode say there were 192 pieces made in total, with 190 produced for White Star Line’s ships and two retained for the Spode archives, however these were lost during the Second World War.
Mr Probst added: “Pieces from my collection have been displayed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC, the Titanic museums in Branson, Missouri, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, as well as the museum on Catalina Island. I currently also have pieces on display in a museum in Australia.”
The saucers were sold on behalf of a collector based in Kent. Brett Tryner, director at Cheffins, said: “These saucers were made especially for first-class passengers on board The Titanic, and for some reason never made it onto the ship.
“We can only assume that some china was kept back in reserve to then top up supplies should there have been breakages en route. We aren’t sure how the seller came into possession of these saucers, however they saw incredible amounts of interest in the lead-up to the sale.
“We are delighted that Mr Probst, the authority on Titanic and White Star Line artefacts, can now add them to his collection.”
The sale price of £46,800 includes the buyer’s premium and VAT at 30%.
