Award-winning cedar models of the historic Deliverance and Sea Venture ships will go up for international auction today.

Mauritian-born boat modeller L. J. Kersley Nanette has opted to sell the items on the UK-based eBay website at www.ebay.co.uk.

He hopes the move will spark international interest among ship collectors and history enthusiasts, in Bermuda's 400th anniversary year.

British presence was established in Bermuda in 1609 when the Sea Venture, the flagship of a fleet en route to Jamestown, Virginia, founded two years earlier, was shipwrecked.

The following year, the survivors of the wreck resumed their journey to Jamestown on board the Deliverance and the Patience.

Lee Talbot, who is marketing the auction explained: "eBay was chosen as a way to auction the ships because the Sea Venture and the Deliverance have ties not just to Bermuda and its first inhabitants but also to Jamestown and England.

"The 60 remaining settlers in Jamestown and the crews of the ships who would have been thankful that the Deliverance arrived when it did bringing foodstuffs are all likely to have relatives and descendants living today.

"The descendants of the investors of the Virginia Company, who funded the expeditions to establish the settlements in North America, might also have some interest in this piece of history.

"The reach of the Sea Venture and the Deliverance is much greater than just the shores of Bermuda, which is why eBay, being a global platform, is a perfect place to offer the ship."

In view of the connections the models have, Mr. Talbot is in England promoting them in London and Plymouth.

They have been listed on eBay's UK site, but will be expanded to its global sites when bidding starts for the Deliverance today at 5 a.m. GMT. The auction for the Sea Venture begins on Friday.

Mr. Talbot said that although Mr. Nanette values the labour cost alone for the ships to be thousands of dollars each, he has chosen to list them for 99p with no reserve price.

He explained: "We hope that as many Bermudians as possible will visit and watch the bidding over the auction period. A price of 99p gives everyone a chance to bid for a piece of history.

"You should visit the auction early and just bid, bid the most that you personally would be willing to pay. Even just $10 more than the previous bid might see you walk away with a piece of history at a bargain price."

Mr. Talbot said Mr. Nanette approached him three years ago, asking if he would help market his works.

"... he explained that it had taken ten months and 1200 hours to complete the Deliverance.

"He had worked hard for almost a year with little income and would like to have recouped the year of lost wages with a quick sale since he had sold few other ships while working on the Deliverance.

"I listened to the details of how much went into it (and) I realised that the value of what he had produced was more than just his time and the materials used.

"The wood used to make the models comes from our family home, which was built in the late 1800s.

"It was built in the traditional way using Bermuda stone and Bermuda cedar. During renovations we removed the cedar floor beams which Kersley purchased to build the ships. Bermuda cedar takes 120 years to reach maturity and the floor beams were ten and 20ft long, so the wood used for these model ships has to be between 170 to 200 years old."

The models won plaudits at the Agricultural Exhibition and People's Choice awards, and the Deliverance was commissioned by the Bermuda Philatelic Society for their Bermuda to Jamestown commemorative stamp.

The items can be found on eBay as follows:

• Item number 320370986418 for the Deliverance.

• Item number 320371449542 for the Sea Venture.

• Keywords: Sea Venture or Deliverance, Tall Ship, Scale Model, Bermuda, 1609, 400th Anniversary, Hand Crafted, Commemorative (choose the option to search the title.)

• The listing is found in category: Collectables > Transportation > Nautical > Models/ Ornaments.