Scarce WWII MI9 SOE British Spy Composite Bakelite Escape Swinger Compass Button For Sale

Extremely Scarce Genuine WW2 MI9 SOE Spy Issued Original British composite/Bakelite Hidden Escape & Evasion Compass ButtonThis is a genuine WW2 SOE Spy issued highly scarce World War II MI9 concealed hidden escape and evasion button compass.
This specific style is a British composite/Bakelite button compass, commonly used on Khaki Drill (KD) tropical uniforms, standard wool Battledress blouses, or waistcoats issued to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Special Operations Executive (SOE).This large Bakelite variant is a standalone, self-contained compassknown as a "swinger" button: * Suspension Method: An escaping airman would cut this single button off their uniform. They would tie a fine piece of thread or a strand of hair through the buttonholes.
* The "Nipple" Pivot: When suspended horizontally in the air, the raised central nipple/pivot on the back allowed the button to balance perfectly flat without tilting or wobbling.
* The Magnetic Element: The plastic itself is embedded with a hidden, molded magnetic element. When hanging from the thread, the entire button rotates on its own in the Earth's magnetic field.The specific markings are exactly how MI9 designed these to be read behind enemy lines while staying hidden during routine body frisks with slight variants, changes in design and manufacture depending on government company contract tender (see last photo for proof archive record) : * The Large Luminous Dot: This is original, glowing radium paint. When the button stops spinning on the thread, this dot points directly North. (Note: In modern times, the old radium paint has dimmed, but it leaves behind that characteristic dark green, discolored spot or ring you see)
* The Black Nipple Dot inside a Circle: This acts as the counterbalance and marking for South.Fantastic original condition with crispness of composition and well-preserved state! Won’t find finer.Approximately 22mm by 6mm.
**Compass Button Action is now Defunct***
This compass but was stored inside a vintage 1940s metal confectionery tin with other sewing items alongside a small strong Eclipse workshop magnet for decades which is the exact scientific reason why it has lost its magnetism and stopped glowing.The storage conditions inadvertently created the perfect environment to both exhaust the luminous paint and scramble the button's internal magnetic orientation.But In the specialist militaria market, this fading and loss of magnetism is expected. Authenticators actively look for exhausted radium paint as proof that a piece is a genuine 1940s operational antique rather than a modern reproduction.Dot Faded:
Wartime self-luminous dials did not require sunlight to charge; they relied on a chemical phenomenon called radioluminescence.The Luminous Chemistry: The SOE paint compound consisted of two primary components: a minute amount of Radium- 226 (the radioactive source) mixed with a phosphor base, typically Zinc Sulfide. The radioactive alpha particles continually shooting out from the Radium were meant to hit the Zinc Sulfide crystals, exciting them and causing them to emit that green-yellow glow.The "Burnout" Phenomenon: Radium has a long radioactive half-life of roughly 1,600 years-meaning the button is still radioactive. However, the delicate Zinc Sulfide phosphor crystals cannot withstand constant atomic bombardment forever. Within a few decades, the radiation chemically destroys and burns out the crystalline structure of the paint.The Faded Look: The paint turns into a dead, powdery, faded yellow-brown dot because the phosphor matrix is completely exhausted, leaving behind the non-glowing radium residue.Why It Lost Its Magnetism: Magnetic Reversal and Scrambling:
The button compass was manufactured out of a specialized plastic matrix embedded with small, magnetized particles aligned toward the North and South poles.The Eclipse Magnet Factor: An Eclipse button or bar magnet is an exceptionally strong, industrial-grade Alnico or ceramic magnet. When left in close proximity to a weak magnetic item for decades, the massive magnetic flux field emitted by the Eclipse magnet entirely overpowers the item next to it.Scrambling the Poles: Over the decades, the strong magnetic field forced the tiny, fixed magnetic domains inside the button compass to either fully reverse or shift out of alignment. This results in the button becoming completely demagnetized or "sluggish," meaning it no longer has the internal cohesion to turn itself toward the Earth's natural magnetic field.Sold as seen! No longer working , as historic ww2 SOE now “decorative” itemObtained directly from personal estate of late daughter of original WW2 SOE British Operative owner!This is an extremely scare and very seldom seen original artefact!