The giant White Star liner sailed from Southampton en route to New York on her maiden voyage on 10 April 1912. Labelled "unsinkable" she carried 2223 passengers and crew. Shortly after 11.30pm on 14 April she struck an iceberg and began to sink. Six of the fifteen watertight compartments were open to the sea. At 2.20am on 15 April 1912, the Titanic finally sank with the loss of 1517 lives.

In 1985 Dr Robert Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic and dispelled the popular belief that she sank intact. In fact, the Titanic had broken into two sections, 600 metres apart on the sea floor.

Almost 100 years after sinking, the Titanic continues to fascinate the world. The mysteries and unanswered questions remain.

This 1:270 scale model has been built entirely by hand from matchsticks. It took Martin Rushton from South Africa 544 hours and 7779 matches to complete. Seven different colour varnishes were used to preserve the matches and replicate the colours of the Titanic on her maiden voyage.

When completed, the model will be mounted in a glass tank with two brass plaques with one displaying information about the constructor and the model, and the other giving a concise history of the Titanic.

This is a one of a kind collectors item. Bids in excess of ZAR 70 000.00 will be considered.

To own a piece of history, make a bid by sending an e-mail to: info@any.co.za