An Incredibly rare collection of Second World War prison-break kits including maps hidden in dominoes, a compass in a shaving razor and a dagger concealed in a pencil sells at auction.
A rare collection of Second World War prison-break kits, including maps hidden in dominoes, have been sold at auction.
The secret devices were created for, and built by, British prisoners in WW2 to help them evade capture and flee detention camps.
The four seemingly everyday items fetched £375 at auction on Friday at East Bristol Auctions in Hanham, Bristol.
They include a regular-looking Royal Sovereign blue pencil with a large metal spike dagger inside - which sold for £60.
A shaving razor blade made by well-known 1930s brand Kleen is actually a compass and has a magnetized blade which will always point north when placed in water.
The razor blade fetched £50 at the auction.
Meanwhile, a collection of four double-sided World War Two RAF pilot or officer’s maps on silk, sold for £65.
It includes maps of Istanbul, Batumi, Al Jauf, and Ankara, all four of which are marked ‘Restricted’.
And an original Kelton wristwatch, which hides a compass on the back of its clock face, fetched a whopping £200.
(Source: Jemma Carr, The Daily Mail- 17/11/2019)
