A little over two years ago, an air gun /pistol used by Sean Connery for some iconic James Bond publicity photos stunned the hobby when it sold at the traditional late November Christie’s South Kensington Pop Culture auction far in excess of its estimate, realizing a staggering £277,250 (US$438,609) including buyer’s premium. In a resale by Sotheby’s this past weekend, it sold for less than half that amount. [Read more…]
Christie’s “Pop Culture: Film and Entertainment” auction (Sale 5570) was held today at South Kensington, London. Results from two of the highlight lots have been widely covered in Reuters and the AP, and picked up by mainstream media worldwide. [Read more…]
I have started a series of more comprehensive profiles of the original props in my own collection, and the second piece to be showcased is a hero Walther PPK from the James Bond film “Licence To Kill” staring Timothy Dalton. [Read more…]
Two recent public auctions have featured original James Bond memorabilia, realizing prices that continue to mark the 007 franchise as one of the most sought out and valued by collectors. [Read more…]
There is a two page spread in the current issue of TV Film Memorabilia Magazine out of the UK featuring an interview with Stephen Lane of The Prop Store of London, discussing original James Bond movie memorabilia, including original props and wardrobe. [Read more…]
There is a feature in today’s Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk) about the value of James Bond/007 memorabilia, and the impact of the new film, Quantum of Solace. As is typical with mainstream media reports on (in this case, in part only) original props and costumes, the focus is on monetary value, though there is a caveat with regards to provenance. [Read more…]
The latest (through “Feb 2, 2009”) issue of Concealed Carry Handguns magazine has a special feature about the “Guns of James Bond” by Dennis Adler. While no original props are featured in the photos, it is an interesting, more technical review of the firearms featured in the films, as well as the holsters. [Read more…]
This is a little “off topic” from movie props, but thought this would make a nice companion article to the one published a few days ago, “The Side Arms of James Bond, 007: From The Walther PPK to the P99“.
I came across an interesting article from 1962 written by Ian Fleming about the guns used by James Bond in the novels (the first Bond film, Dr. No, was released that same year). The article is framed by the actual correspondence between Fleming and a fan of the novels (Geoffrey Boothroyd) with real world firearms expertise, showcasing his recommendations for the character and rationale for certain side arm choices, and other related exchanges and anecdotes.
The March 19, 1962 article – “The Guns of James Bond” By Ian Fleming – is available to read at the Sports Illustrated website, SI.com, with scans of the actual magazine available as well in the “SI Vault”. [Read more…]