spink

Spy Auction Includes Prunes

Filed under: Auctions

Spink, the London-based auction house, has a few rather unusual items up for sale in one of the lots in its April 27th auction. The lot is described as "a unique and secret collection of material produced by the Free French in London during the Second World War" and includes many different pieces of spy memorabilia and counterfeiting equipment, including prisoner of war money, a faux Nazi stamp and propaganda booklets. The most unusual item in the lot is a pair of prunes that were to be used to smuggle secret messages and maps in to prisoners of war to aid in their escape. The prunes were pitted and stuffed with sealed notes before being dried and shipped out. These particular prunes, however, were souvenirs of the spy who owned them and were not actually used to carry messages. The lot is estimated to sell for £800-£1200.