London, 14 August 2022 – This autumn Sotheby’s will present James Bond on Bond Street, an auction of over 100 items relating to Ian Fleming’s enduring creation, from a complete set of first edition books, rare posters including the first-ever James Bond poster from 1962 to a limited edition signed gold-plated replica Golden Gun and a limited edition Bollinger champagne set. Marking 60 years since the premiere of the first Bond film Dr. No, the sale will herald the early years of Bond at his most classic, focusing on the era of Sean Connery and Roger Moore and bringing together a unique assemblage of ‘Bondiana’ for old and new collectors alike. Fittingly, the items will be exhibited in a highlights exhibition at Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries from 1st- 6th September as well as offered for bidding online.
Sotheby’s connection to the James Bond dynasty dates back to Fleming’s short story ‘The property of a lady’
that includes a thrilling auction sequence of a Fabergé egg, set in the Main Sale Room, which was brought to life in the 1983 film Octopussy, filmed at the New Bond Street premises.
Among the sale’s highlights are a British poster advertising the 1962 film Dr. No, estimated between £20,000 and £30,000 (below). The original James Bond film starred Sean Connery and Ursula Andress and was directed by Terence Young. Although made on a low budget, Dr. No established many themes that are still synonymous with Bond films today.
Other Dr. No items include a rare transparency featuring the iconic image of the original Bond girl Ursula Andress on a beach holding a conch shell (est. £800- £1,200). Such transparencies were specially produced by the studio to send to newspapers and magazines that required high quality colour images, as opposed to the usual black and white photographs of the time.