Sean Connery’s First James Bond Gun Is On Sale

Forum 3 years ago

Sean Connery’s First James Bond Gun Is On Sale

The first James Bond gun used by Sean Connery in Dr. No will go on sale at a December auction, with bids expected to reach as high as $200,000.

The first James Bond gun used by Sir Sean Connery is going on sale. Starting with Dr. No in 1962, the Scottish screen legend became an international icon as the first actor to play 007 in a movie, appearing in a total of seven James Bond films over two decades. Connery's take on the British secret agent is known for being cold-blooded and darkly magnetic, diverting considerably from Bond novelist Ian Fleming's original character, who was a mostly neutral figure. Roger Moore, who went on to play a more tongue-in-cheek Bond in the late '70s and early '80s, once called Connery the James Bond, considering him responsible for the character's global popularity.

Tributes poured out all over the world when Sean Connery recently passed away at age 90, with actors and fans alike noting how his 007's style flourishes are still imprinted on pop culture today. The quippy lines whenever Bond takes down a henchman, the "shaken, not stirred" martini, and the dark silhouette of Bond firing his gun at the screen are just a few of the trademarks Connery introduced over 50 years ago.

Now, one lucky fan with deep pockets can own the first James Bond gun that Connery used in Dr. No all those decades ago. CNN reports that the Walther PP prop pistol used as a stand-in for Bond's signature Walther PPK will be the headlining item at the "Icons & Idols Trilogy: Hollywood" auction on December 3. Julien's Auctions, the auction house behind the event, says the prop gun is expected to fetch bids as high as $200,000. Take a look at the original Bond gun below:

Bapty, the historic British supplier of prop weapons to film and TV productions, owned the Walther PP prop after Dr. No's release until 2006 when it sold at an auction. That buyer held the gun for 14 years and has now decided to sell it at the December auction, which will feature over 500 other items from classic Hollywood movies. Those items include Tom Cruise's pilot helmet from Top Gun and a hoverboard from Back to the Future Part II, the second Marty McFly item to be sold recently.

Film memorabilia has always been an incredibly lucrative market, as mega-fans and celebrities pay thousands or even millions to own something that reminds them of their screen heroes. The helmet worn by Rick Moranis in Spaceballs was auctioned off around $8,000 back in 2017, while a pair of Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz listed at a gargantuan $6 million. More James Bond items from the halcyon Connery era will likely go on sale in the coming months and years, giving more wealthy fans several opportunities to own a piece of cinema history.