A pocket watch found on the body of the last victim of the Titanic to be recovered has been put up for sale.
The item, which belonged to Dumfries-born steward Thomas Mullin, hopes to attract bidders on the internet auction website eBay.
The 20-year-old, who later moved to Southampton, was one of more than 1,500 victims of the 1912 disaster.
A crew badge belonging to Mr Mullin was sold at auction for £28,000 nearly four years ago.
The watch has a white face but has lost both its hands and is damaged beyond repair.
It comes with a certificate of authenticity and documents detailing Mr Mullin's childhood, family life and employment history.
It is being sold on internet auction site eBay by collector Paul Thorpe, from East Grinstead, West Sussex who bought it from another collector a couple of years ago.
Bodies search
"It's a unique watch," he said.
"From an investment point of view its value is sure to rocket in 2012, which marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking."
The Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912, as it travelled from Southampton to New York.
Mr Mullin, of Onslow Road in Southampton, was one of more than 1,500 people who died in the tragedy.
On 20 April 1912 reports in the Dumfries and Galloway Standard newspaper confirmed that Mr Mullin's body had not yet been found.
Two days later, the cable ship Minia was commissioned by White Star Line to search for bodies.
Poor weather conditions hampered the search but the crew of the ship managed to recover 17 bodies, of which Mr Mullin was the last.
He was buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1912.
A memorial stone still stands in Dumfries dedicated to Mr Mullin and band member John Law Hume - the only two natives of the area who died on the Titanic.
Following his death, the watch was recovered and returned to Mr Mullin's family along with his steward's badge and a leather memo pad.
However, fearing that the artefacts brought bad luck, relatives sold them for just £102.
The badge alone later changed hands for a £28,000.
Bids for the watch had reached a little more than £1,500 by Wednesday morning.
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