From Dudley with love? £29,000 spy kit sold at auction
It looks like something out of a James Bond film – but these spy cameras were up for auction and fetched a hefty fee.
Allegedly used in Soviet Russia, by the KGB, these intriguing items were put on sale at Aston’s Auctioneers and Valuers in Dudley.
Not only did the collection pull in hopeful buyers from all over the globe, but the statement piece smashed the auction house’s record for the price of an item sold, raking in a huge £29,000.
Despite auctioning classic movie regulars such as a camera disguised as an umbrella and a briefcase hiding a miniature camera, the item that attracted the most attention – and money – was a camera disguised as a cigarette packet. Camera expert at Aston’s, Tim Goldsmith, was as shocked as anyone with the item’s value.
“It was a surprise to us all,” he said. “There were two versions of the cigarette camera. The other was seen as a novelty toy and sold for about £750.
“But the other was a different kettle of fish. It’s difficult to know if it was used by a spy, because they’d be a rubbish spy.
“I did some research and I couldn’t find anyone who could 100 per cent say it was used by a spy, so with items like these it’s almost impossible to work out a price for it.
“It was an unknown quantity and surprising for me even after 40 years of working with cameras.
“I found that it had allegedly been used by the KGB in the UK, which would explain the JPS style packet, but I couldn’t know for certain that it was used by a spy.
“We estimated it would be worth about £100, but two people thought it was something special and the price kept rising.
“When it got to £5,000 I thought ‘this is crazy’, and I had to stand up at the back of the room to soak up the atmosphere.
“When it reached £10,000 I started to shake, it was in serious money territory now. It shot past £10,000 and got to £20,000 and at this point each bid goes up by £1,000 each time, it was intense.
“The owner Chris Aston was just staring at his screen as these two people went back and forth online, and there was a round of applause in the room at the end, you don’t see that everyday. It was also a shock to the guy who owned the camera, it’s a lot of money. It’s a small item but the size is irrelevant, it depends on the rarity of it and who wants it, that’s what makes prices soar.”
Taking into account the buyers premium that allows the auction house to make its money, the buyer ended up splashing out £34,000 for the camera, which will now be taken to a recently opened museum in America.
Despite everything, Mr Goldsmith said his favourite piece at the auction was a camera hidden inside a camera case. It sounds like the most ridiculous idea as people can clearly see you’re carrying around a camera case,” he said.
“But the miniature camera was pointing sideways out the side of the case and pressing a button would open a flap, the camera would take a picture and then the flap would close again, and no-one would know. It’s brilliant.”
The auction also showcased a plethora of Soviet based cameras and hidden miniature cameras.
There were a number of bags and clothing items on sale all with their unique value.
Featured were a bags and briefcases with secret flaps and hidden compartments that allowed hidden cameras to take pictures without detection. Similarly, there were devices attached to and hidden in clothing, perfect for the use of a real KGB spy.
