Scale model of Portsmouth sixth-rate frigate Sphinx set for auction and expected to be worth thousands of pounds

The 1:36 scale model of the sixth-rate Sphinx frigate is estimated to be worth between £8,000 and £12,000.

It is made from alder and fruitwood, and contains a framed hull, an ebony main wale, gun ports with cast brass guns in trucks, and a finely carved figurehead with carved decoration along bulwarks and stern – among other details.

Sphinx has an illustrious history, being ordered from Portsmouth dockyard in 1773.

She was constructed just before the revolt in the American colonies, sailing to North America with Admiral Parker's squadron in March, 1776.

SEE ALSO: Hampshire woman searches for the 'guardian angel' who saved her life after she had a sudden heart attack at the side of the A27 into Portsmouth

Two years later, Sphinx was captured by L’Amphitrite, a French 32-gun vessel, near Martinique, in November 1779.

After years of service under various commanders, she was laid up in Portsmouth in 1799, and sold for breaking in 1811.

Bids for the model frigate, and viewing bookings, can be made through the Charles Miller website.