Watches, clothes, automobiles and other “classified” product utilized by James Bond, cinema’s most popular spy, will be up for auction at Christie’s next month.
The two-part charity sale, which will include 60 lots, marks the 60th anniversary of films on 007, the code that Commander Bond is connected to. From the time the very first Bond film, Dr. No, was released in 1962, the films have presumed cult-classic status and have a global following.
The online auction, entitled “Sixty Years of James Bond”, will be held from September 15 to October 5 in 2 lots. The very first will consist of 25 lots that will come from the most recent Daniel Craig film, No Time to Die (2021 ), and the second, of 35 lots, will include 25 older Bond classics, and will include props, posters and other memorabilia. This auction is the 4th of its kind for Christie’s.
Photo credit: Omega
The live auction, on September 28, will conclude with 6 lots, each representing among the 6 stars who have played Bond: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Each lot will be sold to benefit a charity chosen personally by the particular actor or their estates, according to Christie’s.
Officials at Christie’s declined to offer an estimate of what they intended to raise with the present auction, however art collectors say that the last 2 years have actually pushed borders for art– throughout the board.
It is hard to offer a total ahead of a charity sale. The last 3 official Christie’s 007 auctions, which together raised $7,196,146, provide an idea. In 2012, Christie’s and EON Productions provided 50 Years of James Bond.
So what were the Bond ownership’s that went on sale earlier?
In 2014, on the 50th anniversary of the opening night of Goldfinger, a 24k gold-plated 3rd scale reproduction of James Bond’s renowned Aston Martin DB5 was offered by Christie’s and EON Production. And in the 2016 auction. the leading lot– among the 24 products offered across an online and a live auction– was an Aston Martin DB10, which sold for $3,476,466.
Picture credit: Omega
The sale will likewise include watches used by Bond. 2 of these will be Omega watches from No time at all to Pass Away: an Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, which is a titanium automatic diver’s military-style wrist watch with mesh bracelet used by Craig, developed with inputs from the actor and estimated at in between ₤ 15,000 and ₤ 20,000; and an Omega Aqua Terra worn by Craig in the opening sequence (estimate: ₤ 15,000-20,000).
“James Bond initially wore an Omega in GoldenEye in 1995. Ever since, 007 and his watch have actually been inseparable,” an Omega representative stated, including, “Our shared adventure covers 9 films: GoldenEye; Tomorrow Never Passes Away; The World Is Insufficient; Die Another Day; Casino Royale; Quantum of Solace; Skyfall; Spectre and the most recent No Time to Pass away.”
Sotheby’s also on Bond Street
Christies isn’t alone. Individually, rival auction home Sotheby’s will also provide “James Bond on Bond Street” this fall with an auction of over 100 products associating with Ian Fleming’s production. These will include a total set of first-edition books, uncommon posters, consisting of the first James Bond poster from 1962, limited edition signed gold-plated reproduction of the Golden Gun and a restricted edition Bollinger champagne set.
The Indian market for memorabilia, however, is still fairly untested.
Photo credit: Omega
“Both Bollywood and cricket, the country’s 2 main enthusiasms, have actually had really little exposure to monetising memorabilia,” states Sandeep Goyal, marketing and media entrepreneur who specialises in star valuations and recommendations. “Amitabh Bachchan-related things would succeed. He has the strongest fan franchise in India. Next in the pecking order would be Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.”
On the block
Emphasizes of the Christie’s James Bond auction (estimated quote rates)
- Omega Seamaster Titanium 007 Edition: ₤ 15,000-20,000
- Jaguar XF: ₤ 50,000-70,000
- BMW 750i Mini Design (Tomorrow Never Passes Away): ₤ 7,000-10,000
- Script of Casino Royale (signed by manufacturers): ₤ 4,000-6,000
- 1981 Aston Martin V8: ₤ 500,000-700,000
- Land Rover Protector: ₤ 200,000-300,000