auctioneer Andrew Aldridge has been featured in a magazine produced by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' arts and antiques section.

In an article, The Professionals Take Two, Mr Aldridge is one of four young professionals who have made their mark in the world of auctions and antique sales.

Mr Aldridge, son of Alan Aldridge who set up Henry Aldridge and Son in Devizes more than a decade ago, is head of the Titanic and ocean liner memorabilia section at the company's Bath Road auction centre.

The firm has been so successful in selling Titanic memorabilia, it was invited several years ago to run the auction at the annual British Titanic Society's convention in Southampton, from where the liner set sail on its first and last ill-fated voyage in April 1912.

In the article, Mr Aldridge tells how his interest in the Titanic was fired when his father bought him postcard of the ship. He said: "I am very fortunate that my main interest is now an important part of my business life.

"We held our first Titanic sale in 1998 and things have grown rapidly until we are now seen as market leaders. In November 1998 we sold two menus which accompanied the launch of the Titanic for £11,000. The previous record was £2,500.

"I have a wide-ranging job description. I start my day going through e-mails from prospective clients around the world, asking for advice on both general collectables and Titanic and White Star Line artefacts. These range from pieces worth £10 to one which resulted in the consignment of several extremely rare artefacts worth potentially over £100,000.

"Then I either visit clients for probate or insurance for my own practice or prepare an auction through my consultancy work with Henry Aldridge and Son.

"The lead-up to a Titanic sale is exciting it involves speaking to people from all over the world, preparing press releases and talking to the media, who always want to cover a Titanic-related story."

The association of quite menial objects with the tragic story of the liner sometimes means they fetch incredible sums of money.

A menu from the first meal served on board the Titanic, which was the property of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, one of the heroes of the rescue, fetched an astonishing £51,000 at the Titanic auction in April.

Andrew Aldridge said: "Who would have anticipated ten years ago that a menu from a ship that sank in 1912 would be worth over £50,000? A good Regency sofa table could be bought for a tenth of that price."