The Titanic's Builder 'White Star Line' find for Staffordshire auction house

	General Manager Rosie Blackburn with The White Star Line cups set to be auctioned by Staffordshire auction house Cuttlestones’ Fine Art sale on Friday, 5th March
	The Titanic sets sail....

An exciting find related to the tragic Titanic is set to come under the hammer at Staffordshire auction house Cuttlestones’ March 5th Fine Art and Antiques auction. The lot comprises a set of six bone china cups carrying the distinctive White Star Line branding - the same company that built the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic herself - marked on the underside with Stonier & Co Ltd, Liverpool.

The White Star Line, founded in 1840 as the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, was a British shipping firm whose luxury ocean-going cruisers typified the glamour of the golden era of the ocean liner. It was one of the first lines to introduce third class travel, in addition to its first and second-class cabins, capitalising on the millions that emigrated to find a new life in Canada and the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The class divisions between passengers were vividly re-imagined in James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic, which helped to re-awaken public interest in the ship’s 1912 sinking. Despite its famous tragedy it is estimated that White Star Line cruisers safely transported around 2 million immigrants and the line continued to operate until 1934 before merging with main rival, the Cunard Line.

With official Titanic memorabilia rare, and an almost fanatical base of collectors willing to spend huge sums on even the smallest item from the ill-fated liner itself, there is a good market for anything related to the great ship herself and her sister White Star Line cruisers; as Ben Gamble, MD and Head Auctioneer at Cuttlestones, explains:

“The White Star Line was one of the most famous cruise lines during the heyday of ocean cruising. The glamour and romance of these great ships means that there’s a strong collector’s market for general memorabilia that recall this era; but anything related to the White Star Line, with its Titanic connection, opens up a whole new market of specialist collectors. We are anticipating very strong interest in this lot – the story of the Titanic has captured the imagination of millions worldwide, so we expect plenty of interest from abroad via our live internet and telephone bidding services.”

“The cups came in among other items from someone who was de-cluttering and, at first glance, seemed fairly ordinary – once we spotted the White Star Line brand, however, we knew we had something special. It’s a classic case of something that seems fairly innocuous having a back history that increases it value considerably - and just goes to show you never know what treasures you may have stashed away at home!”

The White Star Line cups will be auctioned by Staffordshire auction house Cuttlestones on Friday, 5th March at its Fine Art Sale. Viewing will be from 10am on Thursday, 4th March and on the morning of the sale. The catalogue will be available online at www.cuttlestones.co.uk from Friday, 26th February. If you’re not able to make the sale, Cuttlestones offers a variety of bidding options including commission, telephone and live internet bidding. For further details or for more information on the lot call 01785 714905.