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THE world's single most valuable Titanic relic will be sold at auction next year, adding a new chapter to the legend of the ill-fated Southampton liner.

Secret negotiations are under way for this item - which is said to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds - to go under the hammer in April next year. Exactly what it is remains a closely guarded secret.

Auctioneers in the know say it will smash all Titanic sale records and that "global big buyers" from all over the world will do battle for possession of the artefacts.

Andrew Aldridge from Wiltshire-based auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Sons, the world's leading auctioneer of Titanic memorabilia, is in no doubt.

He said: "Complicated negotiations are ongoing, but we are hopeful that the single, most significant item in existence will be up for auction."

A source confirmed that the item was genuine and likely to appear on the market next year.

He said it was a personal possession of a passenger and that it was "probably one of the most highly featured items of the night".

He added: "I am always surprised at what items sale for and this definitely could go for £200,000."

One theory is that it could be a musical toy pig taken on board by fashion designer Edith Rosenbaum. According to legend, the pig was mistaken for a baby and thrown into a lifeboat where its tune was played over and over to buoy the spirits of the children onboard.

Another theory is that it could be a set of binoculars removed from the crow's nest before Titanic set sail from Southampton.

With the enormous success of the 1997 movie Titanic - the highest grossing film of all time - the value of any genuine memorabilia from the ship has skyrocketed. Collectors with millions to spend are vying with each other to claim their own slice of history.

"There are many hidden gems still out there, especially in Southampton, and they could be hidden in the lofts and cupboards of people's homes," said Mr Aldridge.

"They may have been handed down through the generations or bought many years ago and would now be worth 20 or 30 times their original price."

For the full story see today's Daily Echo

12:32pm Tuesday 14th August 2007

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