The Enigma machine up for sale on eBay has reached €40,150, with seven hours still to go.

The machine is being sold by an "eBay shop" in Munich which uses the online auction house to sell items for customers. A spokesman at the shop told us the machine had been brought in by a customer who got it from his grandfather. He said there had already been a lot of interest in the code making machine, but the seller was hoping for a price of at least €40,000.

The auction ends at 8pm today. It has already attracted 47 bids.

The machine was made in 1941, but unfortunately the serial numbers have been removed making it impossible to tell who it was used by. It is in working order and comes with two spare rotors. ®