AN historic timepiece, which stopped ticking when ill-fated Southampton liner Titanic sank 93 years ago today, is to be auctioned.

The 18-carat gold pocket watch, pictured, is among the rare artefacts connected to the ship to be sold by Bonhams and Butterfields in Massachusetts in the USA on May 1.

The watch, which was damaged when disaster struck Titanic mid-Atlantic, belonged to Nora Keane, an Irish immigrant living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Following a four-month visit to Ireland, Miss Keane decided to return on the maiden voyage of Titanic, boarding at Queenstown.

She was rescued by lifeboat with the watch, which suffered water damage. Its gilt face has some rust staining, but it is still expected to fetch £2,600-£3,600, Bonhams said.

The rarest item to be sold on May 1 is the only known example of a 3rd class menu postcard from Titanic, which sank with the loss of 1,500 lives.

Detailing the meals available on April 14, 1912, on one side of the card, the reverse carries pencil annotations of the passengers on board: those lost and saved.

The menu survived the disaster in the handbag of 3rd class passenger Sarah Roth, who was rescued by Carpathia. It is expected to fetch up to £26,400 at auction.

An original poster prepared by White Star Line's New York office to promote the return Titanic trip from New York is also going under the hammer. Following the disaster, the posters were withdrawn, making surviving examples very rare. It has been valued at between £10,600 and £15,300.