LONDON, August 16, 2008 (AFP) - A British lord who was selling off his title and property on the Internet website eBay said Saturday he has halted the auction because of concerns over whether the bids were genuine.

David Piper, 58, also known as Lord Warleigh, attracted bids of around three million pounds (3.8 million euros, 5.8 million dollars) for the lot, which included a nine-bedroom house in Plymouth, southwestern England, a modern art collection and two Bentley cars.

But he said he pulled the auction because 'we had no way we could find out whether the potential bidders had the funds or funding for a proposed purchase.'

He added: 'As there were over 500 emails from various people this week, this has been a very tiresome process for one.'

Piper has previously said he was making the sale because he wants to move to London to receive treatment for advanced prostate cancer.