A pen from around World War II was just sold at auction in Britain for £4,050 ($4,937).
But why the high price for an old ordinary pen, you may wonder. That's because it isn't any run-of-the-mill writing instrument. This pen was issued to British spies during World War II and could even be used to kill a person.
The pen was issued to Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents behind enemy lines during the war. What most people would perceive to be a regular pen could, in fact, be used to stab, poison or strangle an enemy.
The pen's tip is a nail dagger that could be used to stab someone, along with a compartment that could be filled with poison. The spy would only need to break the tip's synthetic cover on a rough surface to access the poison.
If stabbing and poisoning don't work, the spy could always just strangle their enemies. The pen cap was attached to the body by a strong metal thread, perfect for garrotting an enemy combatant.
The SOE was a British organisation formed in 1940, designed to carry out espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe with the instruction to ‘set Europe ablaze’.
&uuid=(email))