IT STARTED with an unusual advert in a shop window, but five months on, has ended with interest from across the world, £7,000... and an estranged family.

The Oxford Mail reported in October how Preston Likely, from Littlemore, was selling his identity in the windows of newsagents around Oxford.

The offer – which included his passport, birth certificate and driving licence – was condemned as dangerous by police.

Last night Mr Likely, 46, said: “It all went mad after the first article.

“I did not even expect the story to make it into the Oxford Mail, but suddenly I was getting calls from national newspapers and people in other countries.”

Offers ranged from the small to the very large – the highest offer being £12,000 from a buyer in Italy.

Mr Likely also met an agent claiming to be representing a top celebrity collector, and his story was pitched to Channel Four.

During the bidding, he also wrote to the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury, asking them for their opinion of his actions.

Both said they were unable to personally comment.

The freelance print consultant said: “I never thought I would go from putting a notice in a window to being in national papers.”

Mr Likely originally started the project to raise £7,000 for a hip operation for his father, Trevor Likely.

But since it began, he has claimed to have lost touch with his family because they were unhappy with the attention he was attracting.

He said: “The downside of this all was that it caused a rift with my family.”

Most of the offers fell through, but last month he received a £7,000 donation from an Oxford playwright who wished to remain anonymous.

The playwright did not want his identity, but offered the money in exchange for help with a new play.

And Mr Likely said: “But dad does not want it now.

“He did not want it because of the trouble it has caused.”

So, to complete the cycle, last week Mr Likely sold his documents for 99p on eBay.

He said: “I put them up for sale for the cheapest possible price.

“I just wanted to make a point that I could sell my identity without any opposition.”

They were bought by a buyer in Reading, but Mr Likely said he was just pleased the whole thing was over.

Mr Likely said: “I think I learned a lot about myself, my identity and who I am. It made me think about who I am in relation to my family and the world in general.”

He now plans to change his name by Deed Poll to Lilov, his father’s Bulgarian family name.

He added: “I feel better now I have got a family name that’s real and anchors me in history.”