A set of three Copeland Spode demitasse saucers, made exclusively for RMS Titanic circa 1911 were sold for £46,800 (including Buyers’ Premium and VAT at 30%) on Thursday 17th September at Cheffins Fine Art Auctioneers in Cambridge.
These are believed to be three of only nine such saucers still in existence. Sold on behalf of a collector based in Kent, the saucers were originally estimated to make between £1,000 and £2,000.
Bearing the gilt monogram for the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, the saucers are from pattern R4332, of which the Spode archives say there were only 192 pieces made in total. 190 were produced for White Star Line’s ships and two retained for the Spode archives, however these were lost during World War II, making those offered by Cheffins a rarity to the market.
The saucers were bought by Tony Probst, 67, a prolific collector of artefacts from RMS Titanic and HMS Bounty. Based in California, Mr Probst has a high end audio video company, putting movie theatres into homes. Originally from Forfar in Scotland, Mr Probst grew up sailing around the world with his family, from 6 years old until he was 21. He said: “I have a large collection of White Star Line china from all classes and many different patterns, but R4332 is by far the rarest and has always fascinated me. The pattern number R4332 was used for both the saucer and its matching demitasse cup, and there is also a matching plate, R4331. No one seems to know with absolute certainty exactly how this china was used aboard the ships. It is often referred to as the "Millionaires' Service," which certainly adds to its mystique.”
The saucers were offered as part of The Fine Sale, a two-day auction hosted by Cheffins which included 733 lots of high value art and antiques.
Mr Probst continues: “A few pieces of R4332 china have also been recovered from the wreck, although after more than a century underwater, much of the beautiful cobalt blue and gold decoration has disappeared from most of them.
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 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 artifacts should be shared. Pieces from my collection have been displayed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., 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. When pieces from the collection are not traveling or on museum display, I keep many of them at my store in San Rafael, California, where a few lucky customers occasionally get the opportunity not only to see an actual piece connected to Titanic, but sometimes even to hold one. That, to me, is the best part of collecting these things. They aren't simply objects. Each one has a story and represents a very real connection to the people and ships of the past.”
Brett Tryner, Director at Cheffins says: “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 on 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.”
To find out more about Fine Art sales at Cheffins, please click here