Compact with SAS marking could go for £400

Ladies’ compacts with the Special Air Service (SAS) logo became an unlikely style trend during the early 1950s, as the trinkets were handed out to military wives.

But the post-war whim proved fleeting, and only a handful of the curios are reckoned to still exist.

And now, one of the estimated 20 that have survived will be going under the hammer at Bervie Auctions in Aberdeenshire.

The SAS-branded containers are in such short supply, auctioneers believe it could fetch as much as £400.

Dave Smith of Bervie Auctions said: “If I was being conservative in my guess, it could fetch between £150 to £200.

“However it isn’t uncommon for rarities such as this to command much larger fees, in the range of £400.”

Stratton, a leading brand in powder compacts, lipstick holders and other devices for cosmetics was commissioned to manufacture the items.

The provenance of this particular compact can be traced back to a family local to the Inverbervie area. It is understood that the item was gifted during a servicemen’s ball.

With the SAS famed the world over for its efficiency in high-risk operations it wasn’t uncommon for their operatives to receive items related to the organisation.

The silent auction will run from May 17 till May 21.

SAS ladies’ compact.