Gadgets spies used before James Bond include WW2 bladed coins and hidden daggers
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Gadgets spies used before James Bond was born: concealed weapons and escape items used by British agents in World War II, from sharp coins to a dagger hidden in a Gillette razor, are up for auction.
- Collection of pre-James Bond spy devices used in WWII up for auction
- The collection includes deadly daggers, sharp coins, and hidden compasses.
- Authentic collection could fetch up to £5,000 under the hammer
A collection of cleverly crafted secret weapons and escape items used by British spies during World War II will sell for £5,000 at auction.
In scenes reminiscent of a classic James Bond adventure, the cunning arsenal contains tiny deadly daggers, sharp coins and amazing hidden compasses hidden in pipes.
And just like in Bond, every item for sale seems perfectly innocuous at first glance.
The beautiful design is the reason why they went undetected when taken by secret agents and airmen behind enemy lines.
The collection was designed to be used by PoW and Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents to defeat German guards, and their attention to detail means they were chillingly effective.
A two shilling coin, with a hidden blade dated 1942 (right) and a 50 Reichspfennig coin from the German Third Reich (left)
The collection includes a murder dagger concealed in a men’s Gillette razor kit.
This Bakelite pipe unscrews to reveal a small hidden compass in the mouthpiece.
Among the items is a fountain pen that unscrews to reveal a 5-inch-long four-sided ‘murder dagger’ blade.
This is one of the most expensive items under the hammer, worth £900.
Elsewhere, a Gillette brass razor kit concealing a 7-inch-long dagger in its handle could fetch £700.
The blade has been hidden in the fountain pen.
British engineers also found ways to make ordinary coins lethal.
A 1942 two shilling coin, featuring the face of George VI, has a hidden protruding blade and there is also a German Third Reich coin with a blade on the reverse.
The collection also includes less lethal gizmos, such as an SOE-issued Bakelite that unscrews to reveal a small 5mm compass hidden in the mouthpiece.
The device is believed to have helped escape POWs evade capture and is estimated at £800.
An apparently ordinary key, valued at £500, has a removable screw tip with a hollowed-out core for inserting a small message.
An escape compass is enclosed within the stub of a 1.5-inch-long pencil.
The single owner collection of some 10 lots, assembled by a British militaria collector, will be auctioned with Sworders auctioneers, of Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex.
Otto Billström, Sworders specialist, said: “The items come from a single-owner collection and were acquired by the militaria collector in the last five to 10 years.
“They were taken by anyone behind enemy lines to try to evade capture, or smuggled into prisoner of war camps.
‘My favorite item is the pipe which contains a small 5mm compass hidden in its mouthpiece. It’s an awesome way to hide it.
The sale takes place on February 7.