Some of the more than 8500 novelty teapots on offer at Hansons on October 13.
The tourist attraction was the brainchild of collectors Sue Blazye, 75, and her 71-year-old husband, Keith.
In 2003 they opened the museum, now closed, on the ‘Teapot Island’ on the River Medway near Yalding. In its heyday it welcomed up to 20,000 visitors a year from around the world.
The auction takes place as a timed online sale at Hansons in Kent ending on October 13. The collection is being offered as a single lot with an estimate of £50,000-80,000.
Sue said: “We have decided to lease the café for five years but the new owner didn’t want to take on the teapots, which is why we have made the decision to sell.” She has pledged to hang on to 180 of her favourite designs, however.
The collection started 42 years ago when Sue’s grandmother gave her a blue and brown terracotta teapot that had been a wedding gift. Her aunt gave her another.
Sue bought her first novelty pot, a Cardew Royal Albert, soon after. Over the next 20 years the couple scoured fairs and online sites for more, also making frequent trips to manufacturers around the UK.
Soon the tally stood at 3000 with designs on every shelf, in every cupboard and even hanging from the ceiling.
In 2003 the couple left their Sidcup home to move to Yalding to open a café, before building an extension to house the growing collection.
The collection features examples by makers including Doulton, Minton and Clarice Cliff, as well as three limited-edition giant teapots in the Art Deco style by maker Lorna Bailey.
