An arcade worker is trying to sell 'a piece of the death mask of Christ' on eBay.

Wes Leonard has put a 4cm long piece of the cloth up on the internet auction site with bids starting from £1.

He can’t remember where he bought the oval-shaped box about five years ago, but thinks it was either from a boot-fair or from ebay and he paid about £5 for it.

The box, which Mr Leonard thinks is made out of copper, has a glass front, and inside on dark red material is a small piece of cloth held in place by gold thread.

Above the cloth is the inscription Ex Indumento and below the cloth it says P.PII X.

Leysdown resident Mr Leonard, 52, has asked many people what they think it could be, and one suggestion was a piece of cloth belonging to a pope’s robe.

But the suggestion which really interested Mr Leonard was the one that it could be a piece of the Turin Shroud.

The father-of-two said he has no intention of ripping people off and knows it is very unlikely to be a genuine piece, but is just giving people a laugh.

He said: "It’s a bit of mischief, I’m just having a bit of fun.

"There’s the great story about the Turin Shroud and how the pieces have disappeared – you never know. But it’s tongue in cheek."

The Turin Shroud was discovered in the 14th century and for hundreds of years was believed to be the death mask of Jesus Christ. However, carbon dating in 1988 showed it to be a medieval fake.