The MI-9 SOE concealed "stinger" pencil used in "Naughty Packages" shipped to Allied POWs for use in escape and evasion.
Most of these items are shown in the 1942 Most Secret classified document Per Ardua Libertas. We have a very high quality copy, printed on slick hard milled paper made from the original available. The letter inside describes the contents. It is priced at $69.99.
Additional references to items on this page are also seen in Buerlein's book, Allied Military Fighting Knifes and the Men Who Made Them Famous. An author signed softbound edition is available for $69.99.
We have other fine OSS and Espionage books (many signed by the author/spies)
available on a separate page.
Shown below are several different styles of clandestine and special operations edged weapons used for escape and evasion or counterinsurgency operations.
If you have questions, please email us. Please include an item number and description to avoid unnecessary delay in response.
The following information is regarding the wooden pens and pencils with concealed stingers. The stinger inside has a fine cord wrapped around the handle to lash it to the pencil body (or other convenient stick) as a handle. This is a view of a cutaway version of the pencil, showing how it is retained in the body of the wood. Please note that the cutaway model shown has been sold and it is NOT available.
Several styles of demonstrator and cutaway pencils and quill pens -- as well as "practical" issued versions -- are shown in Frederick Stephen's Fighting Knives on pages 110 and 111 and in Page 116 as Figure 176 in Buerlin's Allied Military Fighting Knives.
There are several ways to determine if a stinger is in a pencil without breaking it open. The easiest way is that the balance point of the pencil is significantly to the rear of where it should be. The second is to x-ray it. A third is to use a compass. The needle will rotate from south to north as you pass it over the stinger. Or use a magnet. to feel the pull from the steel inside. Occasionally, the stinger will be loose inside the pencil and you can feel it shift by shaking it gently. This is not a recommended method.
| Thumbnail (Click to Enlarge) | Item Number Item Name |
Description, Size, Condition | Price | Status |
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SOE-01 SOE Escape Evasion Pencil with Concealed Sticker |
This is an MI-9 issue escape and evasion pencil (right in the image), measuring 6-1/2 inches overall. For comparison purposes only, we show what the pencil stinger dagger looks like when it is dismounted outside of the pencil to the left of the pencil. The detached stinger is not included in this offering, however, the pencil does have a captive stinger that is identical inside it, as shown. The stinger alone is being offered separately (below). There is one small chip out of the wood at the front end of the pencil, as shown. The pencil measures 7 inches long overall with the "business part" measuring about 4-1/2 inches long. This is a view of the other side. The stinger inside has a fine cord wrapped around the handle to lash it to the pencil body as a handle. This is a view of a cutaway version of the pencil, showing how it is retained in the body of the wood. Please note that the cutaway model shown has been sold and it is NOT available. |
$1,199.99 | Available |
| (see above images) | SOE-02 SOE Clandestine POW Sticker |
This is for the dismounted stinger, as shown at
the left in the image above. These were typically concealed in hollow dart boards, pencils,
combs, brushes and similar items sent to Allied POWs in specially prepared aid packages assembled by the SOE. It measures
4-1/2 inches overall. This stinger is shown in a photo of a dartboard on page 39 of Per Ardua Libertas. There is no cord wrapping on the stinger, however, there are two holes for mounting a cord, if needed. |
$349.99 | Available |
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SOE-18 SOE Escape Evasion Pencil with Concealed Sticker CAMP X Instructor Demonstrator |
This is an MI-9 issue escape and evasion "Camp X" instructor's demonstrator pencil with concealed cord wrapped stinger measuring 7 inches overall. The detached stinger IS included in this offering The pencil measures 7 inches long overall with the "business part" measuring about 4-1/2 inches long. This particular pencil has a removable wooden plug at the end (where an eraser would be on a modern pencil). When the plug is removed the stinger can be withdrawn by pulling gently on the cord (or shaken out, if the cord is dropped inside). In practical use, the plug would give away the nature of the weapon and was not used on an "issued" pencil. There is some glue residue from when it was attached to a display long ago. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-19 SOE Escape Evasion Quill Cutaway Pen with Concealed Sticker CAMP X Instructor Demonstrator |
This is an MI-9 issue escape and evasion "Camp X" instructor's demonstrator quill pen with concealed cord wrapped stinger (shown in the left image), measuring 8 inches overall. The embedded stinger IS included in this offering The pen measures 8 inches long overall with the "business part" measuring about 4-1/2 inches long. This quill pencil has a removable standard quill nib at the end. One side has been neatly cut away to show the stinger inside. There is some glue residue from when it was attached to a display long ago. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-20 SOE Escape Evasion Quill Pen with Concealed Sticker |
This is an MI-9 issue escape and evasion "naughty" quill pen with concealed cord wrapped stinger measuring 8 inches overall. The embedded stinger IS included in this offering The pen measures 8 inches long overall with the "business part" measuring about 4-1/2 inches long. This quill pencil has a removable standard quill nib at the end. There is some glue residue from when it was attached to a display long ago. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-21 SOE Escape Evasion Quill Pen with Concealed Sticker |
This is an MI-9 issue escape and evasion "naughty" quill pen with concealed cord wrapped stinger measuring 7 inches overall. The embedded stinger IS included in this offering The pen measures 7 inches long overall with the "business part" measuring about 4-1/2 inches long. The quill pencil does NOT have the removable standard quill nib at the end. The nib is a standard, commonly available item and easily replaced. It is virtually identical to the one shown above. There is some glue residue from when it was attached to a display long ago. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-24 SOE Edwin Jay Truflite Knife and Scabbard |
This is a scarce EDWIN JAY marked William
Rodgers Sheffield Wrist Dagger and Original Scabbard. This was a wrist dagger used by an SOE operative during WWII. It shows signs of frequent sharpening and the leather scabbard shows routine wear and staining from carry. The knife measures about 5-3/4 inches overall, with the blade measuring 3-1/4 inches long. It is marked with a script etch "Truflite" and stamped WILLIAM RODGERS / SHEFFIELD / ENGLAND / No785829 in four lines on one side of the blade and EDWIN (bird logo) JAY on the other side. This is the back side of the knife and scabbard. |
$599.99 | Available |
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SOE-13 SOE Wrist Dagger and Scabbard |
This is an issue SOE wrist dagger and scabbard.
It measures about 7 inches overall. This is a view of the back. This is a close-up of the grip area front and rear. The condition is near excellent overall. The scabbard has supple leather and intact stitching. |
SOLD | |
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SOE-06 SOE Hook Handle Burma Sticker |
This is one of Colonel Hamilton-Hill's 10 inch long hooked handle fullered spike stickers,
with cord-wrapped handle.
The condition is near excellent, with some minor darkness to the triangular blade. |
$1,499.99 | Available |
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SOE-14 SOE 18" LONG Hook Handle DET 101 Burma Sticker |
This is one of Colonel Hamilton-Hill's 18 inch long hooked handle fullered spike stickers,
with wire-wrapped handle.
This knife is pictured in Hooked Combat Stinger Shown in the SOE SPY MI-9 Section of Buerlein's Allied Military Fighting Knives book on page 125 as Figure 189 and described as associated with Det 101 of the OSS and the Chindits in Burma. It has the characteristic triangular cross-section blade with fullers and round wire-wrapped handle as shown. This is a very long sticker. The bend at the handle is intentional and part of the design style.
It is in very good to near excellent condition with some wear and rusting from age, as shown. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-15 SOE 12" Long Ram's Horns Hook Handle DET 101 Burma Sticker |
This is one of Colonel Hamilton-Hill's 12 inch long
double hooked handle fullered spike stickers. This knife has a small hole intentionally drilled in the mid part of the handle to use as an anchor point for a cord (cord is not present). It has the characteristic triangular cross-section blade with fullers and provisions for cord-wrapping the handle as shown.
It is in near excellent condition with some very minor wear and rusting from age, as shown. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-16 SOE Theater Made 15" Long Diamond Spike Sticker Combat Knife |
This is a very nicely balanced and well-made 15 inch long
tang handle diamond cross-section spike sticker. The blade measures 12 inches,
3 inches of which is wrapped in a cord lace. The sticker is shown from the front and side profiles. There is a 3 inch tang and abbreviated ricasso. It had a wooden or bone handle at one time, now long gone. The condition is used, however still excellent overall. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-22 SOE Theater Made 10 Inch Overall Donald Hamilton-Hill Personal Marked STINGER Combat Knife with Fluted Blade |
This is a very nicely balanced and well-made 10 inch long
wood handle triangle cross-section spike sticker. The blade measures 6
inches. The sticker is shown from the front and side profiles. There is a 3 inch wooden handle marked with a name scratched into the wood. The condition is used, however still excellent overall. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-17 SOE Theater Made 14" Long Square Spike Sticker Combat Knife |
This is a 14 inch long
bone handle square cross-section spike sticker. The blade measures 12
inches with a 2 inch long carved bone handle. The sticker is shown from the front and side profiles. It has a theater made leather scabbard, shown. The condition is used, however still excellent overall. |
$999.99 | Available |
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OSS-14 OSS Hatpin Spike Sticker |
This is a 7 inch long
cast-on handle knitting needle hatpin spike sticker. The blade measures
5-1/2
inches with a 1-1/2 inch long grip. The sticker "handle" is shown from the top and bottom sides. It has no scabbard, as it was usually worn in the hair by a woman agent. It is very well-balanced. This is a very rarely encountered item. The condition is used, however still excellent overall. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-26 SOE Theater Made Hex Spike Sticker Combat Knife |
This is a 11 inch long
knurled handle hexagonal cross-section spike sticker. The blade
measures 7
inches with a 4 inch long machined handle. The sticker is shown from the front and back profiles and these are close-ups of the grip area front and back. It has no scabbard. The condition is used, however still excellent overall. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-27 SOE Theater Made Square Spike Sticker Hollow Handle Combat Knife |
This is a 9-3/4 inch long
knurled handle square cross-section spike sticker. The blade
measures 4-3/4
inches with a 4-3/4 inch long machined hollow handle. These are close-ups of the grip area open and closed. The 3-1/2 inch deep hollow handle can hold a tissue survival map and the cap can hold one of the standard miniature 3/8 inch SOE compasses. It has metal lined stiff leather covered fitted scabbard. The condition is used, with wear evident to the finish on the machine checkered hollow handle, however still excellent overall. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SOE-25 SOE Theater Made Square Spike Sticker Combat Knife |
This is a 10-1/2 inch long
wood handle square cross-section spike sticker. The blade measures 6
inches with a 4-3/8 inch long hand checkered and carved wood handle. This is one of the SOE knives from the Colonel Hamilton-Hill collection. The guard is unusual in that it appears to be made for left-hand use. There are no maker or identification markings. The sticker is shown from the front and back sides. It has a theater made leather brad pinned scabbard, shown. The condition is used, however still excellent overall. |
$999.99 | Available |
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OSS-12 OSS Frisk Knife |
This is an OSS issue frisk knife. The back of the knife is virtually identical to the front. Included is a photocopy of the OSS document that describes and pictures the knife in actual size. The actual knife is shown beside the photo image on the face of the document. The condition is near mint. |
$999.99 | Available |
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OSS-05 OSS Carpetbagger Drop Knife |
This is an OSS issue CARPETBAGGER parachute agent drop knife. It does NOT have a spring-loaded
blade. The blade is retained in the cast aluminum handle by a spring operated lever that when depressed allows the blade to
drop out of the handle by gravity. This is a view of the knife closed. These are views of it open, front and rear. The condition is near mint. |
$4,999.99 | Available |
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OSS-07 OSS Knuckle Bow Drop Knife With Scabbard and Hanger |
This is an OSS issue drop knife. The triangular blade is retained in the
steel knuckle bow with rounded points. It has the usual rubber hose type grip in very good overall condition. The blade is 9 inches long, the knife 14-1/4 inches long overall. These are views of the grip and knuckle bow, front and rear and an overall view of the back. The condition is near excellent. A well-fitted theater made triangular metal scabbard and leather frog is included. All pieces and parts are completely sterile with no markings anywhere. |
$799.99 | Available |
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OSS-09 OSS Knuckle Bow Drop Knife |
This is an OSS issue drop knife. The triangular blade is retained in the
steel knuckle bow with rounded points. It has the usual rubber hose type grip in very good overall condition. The blade is 8 inches long, the knife 13-7/8 inches long overall. The condition is well-used, near very good with some minor deformation of the knuckle bow from combat use. All pieces and parts are completely sterile with no markings anywhere. |
$599.99 | Available |
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OSS-10 OSS Knuckle Bow Drop Knife |
This is an OSS issue drop knife. The triangular blade is retained in the
steel knuckle bow with rounded points. It has the usual rubber hose type grip in very good overall condition. The blade is 8-1/2 inches long, the knife 14 inches long overall. These are close-ups of the grip and knuckle bow, right and left sides. The condition is well-used, near very good with some minor signs of wear from combat use. All pieces and parts are completely sterile with no markings anywhere. There is NO scabbard with this knife. |
$499.99 | Available |
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OSS-11 OSS Knuckle Bow Drop Combination Sword/Knife |
This is an OSS issue drop knife. The Patton
sword tip blade is retained in the steel knuckle bow with neat welds. It has the usual rubber hose type grip in very good overall condition. The blade is 22 inches long, the knife 27 inches long overall. These are close-ups of the grip and knuckle bow, right and left sides. The condition is well-used, near very good with some routine signs of wear from combat use. The blade has freckling typical of the WWI vintage sword blade. All pieces and parts are completely sterile with no markings anywhere. There is NO scabbard with this sword knife. |
$1,499.99 | Available |
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OSS-13 OSS Caltrop Tire Puncture Device |
This is a World War II OSS issue sheet metal
style caltrop. It is made by three pieces of spiked metal spot welded together and designed to present a point straight up regardless of how it lands. The blade is 3-1/2 inches high, the edges of each triangle 4 inches long. These are close-ups of the reverse side and from the bottom side. The condition is well-used, near very good with some routine signs of rust and spotting from use. The blade has freckling typical of the WWI vintage sword blade. All pieces and parts are completely sterile with no markings anywhere. There is NO scabbard with this sword knife. |
$1,499.99 | Available |
Shown below are several different styles of the OSS and SOE smatchet. Note the OSS versions have the three rivet aluminum pommel and the British SOE versions have a brass pommel. There are variations within each type, mostly in the grip treatments (wood, rope-covered, rubber-covered, etc.), blade treatments (shiny, dull, Parkerized or blackened/blued) Scabbards also have variations. Weapons shown without scabbards do not come with scabbards. If a scabbard is included, it will be stated in the separate listing.
| Thumbnail (Click to Enlarge) | Item Number Item Name |
Description, Size, Condition | Price | Status |
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SMAC-06 | This is an OSS smatchet BOWIE special operations knife with leather
stitched and staple reinforced scabbard This is a very unusual variation of the OSS smatchet. It is completely sterile with no markings on either the knife or the scabbard. This is a view of the point. This is a side-by-side comparison view with an SOE smatchet to show the blade variations in scale. These are views of the grip from the right and left sides. The condition is used, generally very good to near excellent. |
$1,499.99 | Available |
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SMAC-02 | This is an OSS smatchet special operations knife with leather covered wooden scabbard, an exposed wooden
handle and subdued blade.
This is a view of the back side. The condition is used, very good to near excellent throughout. |
$1,299.99 | Available |
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SMAC-03 | This is an OSS smatchet special operations knife
It has a leather covered wooden scabbard (no snap variant), a rubber covered recessed wooden handle grips, aluminum three pin rivet pommel, and shiny blade. This is a view of the back side. This is a close-up of the grip on this scarce variant. The condition is used, very good to near excellent, excepting some moderate crazing of the rubber on the grips. |
$1,299.99 | Available |
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SMAC-04 | This is an OSS smatchet special operations knife
It has flush wooden handle grips, aluminum two pin rivet pommel, two large rivet grips, and blackened subdued blade. This is a view of the back side. This is a close-up of the grip. The condition is used, very good to near excellent, with darkness on the blade and some oxidation on the pommel. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SMAC-05 | This is an SOE smatchet special operations knife
It has flush wrap-around wooden handle grips secured with four pin rivets, brass four pin rivet pommel, and blackened subdued blade. This is a view of the handle and grip left and right sides. The brass pommel has a Broad Arrow 13 mark. The condition is used, very good to near excellent, with some dings on the pommel end when it was used in the field as a hammer. The blade is very dark. |
$999.99 | Available |
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SMAC-07 | This is an SOE smatchet special operations knife
It has a brass crossguard, nearly flush wrap-around wooden handle grips secured with four pin rivets, aluminum three pin rivet pommel, and darkened subdued blade. This is a view of the handle and grip left and right sides. The aluminum pommel has a Broad Arrow 5 mark. The condition is used, very good to near excellent. The blade is moderately dark. There is some slight looseness in the grips. |
$999.99 | Available |
