Dreweatts & Bloomsbury

Hirst's sketch referenced his most famous works. Photo: Dreweatts and Bloomsbury

As I was looking for information for my genetics presentation this friday, I found a piece of interesting news:

A sketch drawn by Damien Hirst and given to a London cabbie for his keen-artist son could fetch £5,000 at auction.

The doodle was given to Jon Horsley as a tip after he dropped the celebrated artist off in Mayfair.

Experts have valued the pencil drawing, which features some of Hirst's most famous works, at £1,500 but have said a collector might pay more than three times that amount.

The 40-year-old taxi driver from Ilford, in Essex, said: "I'd picked Mr Hirst up before. My son said if I ever did again I should ask him to draw a picture.

"This is the largest tip I've ever had. Before this the most I'd received was £50."

Hirst, who got an E grade in his art A level, signed the doodle for the driver's 15-year-old son, writing: "For LJ. Don't give up on the art."

The drawing, which took the artist just a few minutes to complete in the back of Mr Horsley's cab, will be auctioned by Dreweatts & Bloomsbury on April 21.

Contemporary art director Mary McCarthy, who will auction the piece, said: "It's a charming little sketch, very childlike.

"It will appeal to a mass audience, not just the normal Damien Hirst collector. Considering one of his pieces sold for £10.34m this could be quite a snip for an original."

The artist is now best-known for pickling a shark in formaldehyde and arranging butterfly wings into patterns, as well as covering a skull in diamonds.