A rare WW2 female assassin's dagger - disguised as a hairbrush - has been donated to a museum.<br /><br />The hairbrush was donated to House on the Hill museum as part of a collection of WW2 items after the owner passed away.<br /><br />The hairbrush contains a concealed dagger in the handle and was owned by a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE).<br /><br />It was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe.<br /><br />The agent who owned the brush, Maria Krystyna Janina Skarbek, played a 'femme fatale' role.<br /><br />Her job was to lure German officers and high ranking targets into her room before killing them.<br /><br />Maria Krystyna - a Polish woman, who became a British agent months before the SOE was founded - was one of Britain's longest-serving female wartime agents.<br /><br />In December 1946 she legally changed her name to Christine Granville.<br /><br />The museum's owner, Jeremy Goldsmith, said: "We think it’s exceptionally rare.<br /><br />"I would value it at around £5000+ as these items are very rare and scarce and, to be honest, very hard to value.<br /><br />"When the items were brought in to us, the brush was in a box with other items.<br /><br />"I noticed the label on it and that the handle was loose, so I slowly pulled the handle and to my surprise the dagger shot out!<br /><br />"We have researched these items and very few are known to exist made for British agents in occupied territories in WW2."<br /><br />The item is now on display at the museum in Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex.
