A deck chair recovered from the Titanic could fetch up to £80,000 at auction today.

The Nantucket wooden chair was on the first class promenade deck of the luxury liner when it sank in 1912.

It is being put up for sale at an auction in Devises in Wiltshire today Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said it was "one of the rarest types of Titanic collectable" which came with extensive paperwork to prove its provenance.

The chair is too delicate to sit on but has been carefully preserved.

It was picked up by the crew of the Mackay-Bennett which was sent to recover the bodies of the victims after the Titanic sank.

About 1,500 people died when the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg on April 14 during its maiden voyage to New York from Southampton.

The chair was one of six or seven taken back to port in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Mr Aldridge said it was given to French cable ship captain Julien Lemarteleur by a crew member of the Mackay-Bennett, along with the piece of cork from a Titanic lifejacket.

"The in-depth provenance documentation confirms the chain of custody of the deck chair through from Capt Lemarteleur in 1912 through to the present day," he said.

The current owner, an English Titanic collector, has kept it for 15 years.

Also up for auction is a a letter from the owners of the Titanic to the family of a dead officer asking for a large sum of money to return his dead body to England.

The letter, dated May 7, 1912 was sent from White Star Lines to Christopher Moody, the brother of 24-year-old officer James Moody, who died after the Titanic hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage the previous month.

The company asks for a £20 deposit - the equivalent of £2,100 today - to return his body to England and state that Mr Moody will also have to meet the remaining costs from there.

The letter, from parent company Ismay Imrie & Co, reads:

''We have your further letter of the 6th instant, and while we will be prepared to transport the remains of your brother across the Atlantic to either Liverpool or Southampton we regret that it is not possible for us to do any more.

''Should you after further consideration desire the remains of your Brother to be returned will you kindly telegraph us in the morning at the same time sending us a deposit of £20 for any expenses and land charges on the other Side and we will at once cable New York asking then to arrange this if practicable.

''We also think it right to point out that the arrangements and expenses for taking charge of the remains after arrival of the steamer at Liverpool or Southampton would be on your account.''

Instead, the company suggests that Mr Moody's remains be buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but they offer to send his family ''a photograph of the tombstone'', if they want one.

When the letter was sent, Mr Moody's body had not been recovered, and the parent company would have known this as all remains were catalogued.

The remains of Mr Moody, who was on watch when the ship struck the iceberg and later helped passengers into the lifeboats while declining a space for himself, have never been found.

Mr Moody, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire had been serving as the Titanic's sixth officer, and was the only junior officer to perish after staying behind to help evacuate the passengers after the other officers left.

The letter is expected to fetch between £20,000 and £25,000.

It is being sold by a private collector, who acquired it directly from the Moody family.

The full text of the letter:

Here is the letter in full:

C.W. Moody, Esq., 98, Cartergate, Grimsby.

Dear Sir,

We have your further letter of the 6th instant, and while we will be prepared to transport the remains of your brother across the Atlantic to either Liverpool or Southampton we regret that it is not possible for us to do any more.

Should you after further consideration desire the remains of your Brother to be returned will you kindly telegraph us in the morning at the same time sending us a deposit of £20 for any expenses and land charges on the other Side and we will at once cable New York asking then to arrange this if practicable.

We also think it right to point out that the arrangements and expenses for taking charge of the remains after arrival of the steamer at Liverpool or Southampton would be on your account.

While sympathising with your inclination we trust, however, that you will eventually decide to allow the remains to be interred with the others which we can assure you will be carried out on your behalf by our people with all due reverence, and if you would care for a photograph of the grave or if there are some words you would like included on the tombstone we shall be happy to have your wish complied with on hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

For Ismay Imrie & Co.