The weapon used by the original 007 actor in the 1962 spy thriller 'Dr. No' has been sold under the hammer for more than a quarter million dollars during a Hollywood auction.
- December 5, 2020
AceShowbiz - The handgun used by the late Sean Connery in his first outing as James Bond has blasted auction estimates by selling for $256,000 (£190,000).
The iconic Walther PP pistol, given to the actor after he completed production on 1962 spy thriller "Dr. No", the first film in the action franchise, had been valued at between $150,000 (£113,000) and $200,000 (£148,000) by Julien's Auctions officials, but on Wednesday (03Dec20), the item's sale price exceeded expectations as it went under the hammer in Beverly Hills, California.
According to venue officials, the new owner of the deactivated gun wants to remain anonymous, but is an American who has long been a huge fan of 007.
It was one of more than 500 items up for grabs in the Icons & Idols TRILOGY: Hollywood auction, during which the stunt Katana sword used by Bruce Willis in "Pulp Fiction" was snapped up for a stunning $35,200 (£26,100) - 35 times its original estimate.
Other highlights included a fighter pilot helmet made for Tom Cruise for the 1986 "Top Gun" blockbuster, which sold for $108,000 (£80,200), and a white Navy officer's cap also worn by the superstar in 1992's "A Few Good Men", which went under the hammer for $9,375 (£7,000).
Nearly 600 movie memorabilia were offered for the auction. They included an original foam latex animatronic Leonardo ninja turtle head from the 1993 film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III"; a black eye patch worn by "the Duke" John Wayne in his Academy Award-winning role as Rooster Cogburn in 1969 film classic, "True Grit"; props and costumes from popular genre films such as "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and the "Back to the Future" film franchise; plus, items from Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Hugh Hefner, Bette Davis, and more.
