A harmless-looking comb with a hidden knife that was carried by spies and Prisoners of War (POW) during World War Two has been sold for over £600 by an auction house in Marlow.
The gadget, which looks like a normal comb but can be snapped in half to reveal a hidden blade, was produced by the MI9 British Intelligence Service to aid Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents and POWs during the Second World War.
It was featured in an MI9 book called ‘Per Ardua Libertas’ (Liberty Through Adversity) published in 1942, detailing the James Bond-style devices used by spies to escape sticky situations.
The comb was sold by Bosleys auctioneers in Marlow on Wednesday, March 13, for £630.
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Auctioneer Bernard Pass said: “This illustrates the ingenuity and thought that went into helping British POWs, which also let them know they had not been forgotten. By escaping, they could tie up German troops looking for them, and keep them away from the front lines.
“These combs are very rare because when they were discovered in the post-war years, they would often have been thrown away. Who wants a second-hand comb?”
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