A determined bidder won a paper documenting the most famous passenger ship disaster in history in an auction. 

Russell Sollis, 26, from Weymouth, is now the owner of a full copy of the New York Times dated Tuesday, April 16, 1912, the day after the sinking of RMS Titanic. 

He won the antique paper for £220 at NTA Auction House in Weymouth last Thursday, and said he was willing to go even higher. 

Many will know the tragic story of RMS Titanic, which set sail from Southampton in Hampshire on April 10, 1912, carrying more than 2000 passengers and crew en route to New York. 

It never made it to its destination, colliding with an iceberg during the night of April 14, 1912, and sinking in just a few hours. 

More than 1,500 died in the disaster. 

Russell explained why he was so determined to win the piece.

He said: “My great grandad got to see Titanic when it docked at Southampton, and he always used to talk about how huge it was.

“That’s something that stuck with me.

“My dad goes on a lot of cruises with my step-mum three or four times a year, and I have been on a few too. As a family we love being at sea. 

“I didn’t want to let it go when I saw it up for auction.”

Russell added that he has recently moved into a new flat and is hoping that the paper will spark interest when people come to visit. 

He said: “I wanted to put something on the wall that had that wow factor. 

“It’s 105 years old now, it’s a marvellous piece and it’s something that very rarely comes up.

“It’s an amazing piece of history and it’s a real talking point.

“I’m very happy with my purchase.

“I’ve only recently started entering auctions.I went to one last month on the Granby Estate where I picked up two seven-foot Star Wars statues.”

The paper was originally given to the auction house by a couple who were unsure of its worth.