Grab yourself a piece of Concorde

IT carried rock stars, royalty and heads of state, once promised supersonic travel for everyone, deafened everyone under its flight path and was finally retired amid popping corks, tears and a faint sense of regret at what might have been.

Concorde may have flown for the last time but fans of the 'beautiful white bird' can buy memorabilia at a Christie's auction in Paris.

You don't have to be able to afford the £4,000 cost of a return flight to New York to do so. There‘s no reserve price at the auction so souvenirs could theoretically go for as little as e1 (60p) - not bad for a piece of aviation history.

Lots range from the engines and most of the instrumentation to souvenirs such as models and photographs of the plane. There are even loo seats, plastic signs and pre-September 11 metal cutlery.

The Olympus 593 engines are most likely destined for museums. With an auction price of e120,000 (£86,300), they are not exactly living room trinkets. But if engines aren't your thing, Concorde's dipping nose will set you back between £25,000 and £30,000. At twelve feet long it may not fit in your living room but it would make a great wigwam for kids' parties.

A more realistic punt may be a 'Machmeter', the electronic cabin display that informed passengers when they had broken the sound barrier at mach 1, then when they had hit mach 2 (1350mph or twice the speed of sound). More esoteric is a brake temperature gauge, but at just £70 the clunky black 1960s design might tempt a few retro gadget lovers.

If comfort is your thing, you could bid for the captain‘s seat at about £700. Or there‘s a Concorde dinner service? They‘re not as rare as all that – many have cropped up at car boot sales over the years thanks to BA‘s practice of giving them away to staff when the service was upgraded. But a 12-piece Royal Doulton BA Concorde dinner service, with cutlery, will still set you back just £400-£600. And what price the cachet that Joan Collins perhaps once ate off one of your plates?

Other BA lots include loo seats, cases of fine wine (all around £150), crystalline glasses to complete the dinner service (£150-£200) ashtrays (£75-£100) stationery (£60) and even a cabin trolley bearing the legend British Airways Concorde (£700).

Whether you bid in Paris or London, competition will be fierce, according to Jill Potterton of Christie's. She said: 'We have had huge interest from the public and the press. We are expecting bids from collectors of aeronautica to museums and fans of Concorde.'

So will your purchase appreciate in value? Would you be better off buying BA shares instead? Lorne Spicer, presenter of the BBC collectibles programme Cash In The Attic, warns that professional dealers will vacuum up many items, store them for a few years and then release them back on to the market once prices for Concorde memorabilia have risen sufficiently.

Spicer added: 'If you go to the auction, buy a catalogue and hang on to it as this will help with the provenance of whatever you buy and increase its value.'

BA shares, on the other hand, have no rarity value. Yet a threefold increase in the price during 2003 has not convinced City analysts that they can‘t go higher. Even so, there are major uncertainties, not least terrorism fears and the possibility of higher fuel charges. That Concorde loo seat could be a surer bet.

Christie's Air France Concorde auction, Saturday 15 November at 3pm, 9 Avenue Matignon, 75008, Paris. Catalogue can be viewed at www.christies.com

Bonham's BA Concorde auction, Saturday, 1 December, Olympia Exhibition Hall 2. Viewing Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November, 10am - 5pm. www.bonhams.com