A letter sent from the Pacific Island of Fiji to Titus Salt more than a century ago is expected to fetch up to £1,000 when its goes under the hammer next month.

The letter, which has been put on the market by a mystery seller, is expected to create a wave of excitement among collectors when it is put up for sale at a London auctioneers on April 6.

The letter, which is addressed to Messrs Titus Salt-Hoy, Saltaire, Bradford, Yorkshire, began its tortuous trip 12,000 miles from the South Pacific Island to the Victorian model village on May 21, 1879.

Nick Startup, a stamp expert at Spink auction house, who are selling the envelope, said that although the letter which came inside the envelope had long since disappeared, the envelope and Fijian stamps would make the lot a much sought-after item.

He said: "The fact that the stamps are still on the envelope will make this valuable.

"Envelopes from Fiji in this period are quite rare and if they still have stamps on them they do become quite sought after."

Chairman of Saltaire Village Society, Clive Woods, said that the letter would not have been sent to Sir Titus because he had already died in December 1876.

However he said that it was possible that the letter had been sent by the children of Edward Salt, Sir Titus's son.

"Some of Edward Salt's sons did go to New Zealand so he did have family out that way."

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