As James Bond movies turn 60, his memorabilia is going under the hammer

007's watches, his Aston Martin among Christie's auction in September

Watches, clothes, cars and other “classified” material used by James Bond, big screen’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 attached to. From the time the first Bond movie, Dr. No, was released in 1962, the films have assumed cult-classic status and have a global following. 

The online auction, titled “Sixty Years of James Bond”, will be held from September 15 to October 5 in two lots. The first will include 25 lots that will come from the most recent Daniel Craig movie, No Time to Die (2021), and the second, of 35 lots, will include 25 older Bond classics, and will feature props, posters and other memorabilia. This auction is the fourth of its kind for Christie’s.

Photo credit: Omega
 

 

The live auction, on September 28, will conclude with six lots, each representing one of the six actors 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 respective actor or their estates, according to Christie’s.

Officials at Christie’s declined to provide an estimate of what they hoped to raise with the current auction, but art collectors say that the last two years have pushed boundaries for art –across the board. 

It is hard to provide a total ahead of a charity sale. The last three official Christie’s 007 auctions, which together raised $7,196,146, give an idea. In 2012, Christie’s and EON Productions presented 50 Years of James Bond.

So what were the Bond possession's that went on sale earlier?

In 2014, on the 50th anniversary of the world premiere of Goldfinger, a 24k gold-plated third scale replica of James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DB5 was sold by Christie’s and EON Production. And in the 2016 auction. the top lot – among the 24 items offered across an online and a live auction – was an Aston Martin DB10, which sold for $3,476,466.

Photo credit: Omega
 

 

The sale will also feature watches worn by Bond. Two of these will be Omega watches from No Time to Die: an Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, which is a titanium automatic diver’s military-style wrist watch with mesh bracelet worn by Craig, designed with inputs from the actor and estimated at 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 first wore an Omega in GoldenEye in 1995. Since then, 007 and his watch have been inseparable,” an Omega spokesperson said, adding, “Our shared adventure covers nine films: GoldenEye; Tomorrow Never Dies; The World Is Not Enough; Die Another Day; Casino Royale; Quantum of Solace; Skyfall; Spectre and the most recent No Time to Die."

Sotheby’s also on Bond Street

Christies isn't alone. Separately, rival auction house Sotheby’s will also present “James Bond on Bond Street” this autumn with an auction of over 100 items relating to Ian Fleming’s creation. These will include a complete set of first-edition books, rare posters, including the first James Bond poster from 1962, limited edition signed gold-plated replica of the Golden Gun and a limited edition Bollinger champagne set.

The Indian market for memorabilia, however, is still relatively untested.

Photo credit: Omega
 

 

"Both Bollywood and cricket, the country’s two main passions, have had very little exposure to monetising memorabilia," says Sandeep Goyal, advertising and media entrepreneur who specialises in celebrity valuations and endorsements. "Amitabh Bachchan-related stuff would do well. He has the strongest fan franchise in India. Next in the pecking order would be Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni."

On the block

Highlights of the Christie's James Bond auction (estimated bid prices)

• Omega Seamaster Titanium 007 Edition: £15,000-20,000
• Jaguar XF: £50,000-70,000
• BMW 750i Miniature Model (Tomorrow Never Dies): £7,000-10,000
• Script of Casino Royale (signed by producers): £4,000-6,000
• 1981 Aston Martin V8: £500,000-700,000
• Land Rover Defender: £200,000-300,000