With less than 24 hours to go, an auction continues to catch the imagination of golfing memorabilia collectors keen to own a slice of St Andrews history.

St Andrews Links Trust, which administers the links courses, set up the online auction offering the tee plaques used for many years on the Old Course and bids have been flooding into the trust offices, in particular over the past few days as tens of thousands attended the Open.

To mark the 27th Open on the Old Course, the trust made available tee plaques which graced the venue.

The hand-crafted plaques were the first to be custom-made for the course and are part of golfing history.

And the auction for the souvenirs has generated interest around the globe, with bids being received for each of the plaques.

The package also includes a special certificate of authenticity.

The top bid of $1700 is for the plaque from the 17th Road Hole, scene of so much drama over the years, while the second highest is $1175 for the first.

Total bids received stood at $11,766 yesterday.

The 18th plaque is a replica as the original was gifted to a former Old Course head greenkeeper last year.

Cast in aluminium, the plaques are dark blue with gold and white lettering and feature the links logo, the name and number of each hole, its par, yardage and stroke index.

The plaques were replaced last year following the introduction of a new stroke index.

All proceeds go to the St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association, which offers free coaching for local youngsters.

The trust is inviting bids by Email and the auction closes tomorrow at 10 am.