The Walther PP pistol used by Sean Connery’s James Bond in Dr. No is up for auction as part of the “Icons & Idols Trilogy: Hollywood” sale hosted by Julien’s Auctions. The iconic item is just one of nearly 600 artifacts taken out of the vault and production archives of Hollywood’s greatest productions, spanning from the Golden Age to modern classics, for the online event.
The deactivated Walther PP pistol is actually one of two props used by Connery’s James Bond in Dr. No, the first installment of the 007 film franchise. According to Julien’s Auctions, the item had been identified and held by the original film armorer, UK-based BAPTY, until it was sold at the official BAPTY Archive auction in 2006.
When the James Bond pistol is sold, the buyer will also receive a certificate of deactivation and a letter of provenance from Bapty. The auction house reportedly expects the item to be sold for between $150,000 and $200,000. “The silhouette of 007 holding this gun would go on to become the James Bond franchise‘s most iconic image and one of the most recognizable pop culture references of all time,” said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions, in a statement. “We are honored to include his Walther PP Pistol as our auction’s headlining item along with hundreds of other historical memorabilia from Hollywood’s greatest classic films and television series.”
Connery passed away on October 31 at the age of 90, news that Nolan said “deeply saddened the auction house. In an interview with Variety, Dan Lanigan, the current owner of the gun, explained that he had signed the contract with Julien’s Auctions to sell the item two weeks before Connery’s death. “I don’t want to profit off his death and I got nervous about it, but the auction house said this stuff happens all the time. I felt weird about it and considered pulling it at one point,” Lanigan admitted.
After Dr. No, Connery would reprise his role as 007 in six additional films from EON Productions before making his final appearance as the spy in Never Say Never Again by Jack Schwartzman’s Taliafilm. Five actors would officially succeed Connery in the role over the past six decades, with Daniel Craig being the latest.
Craig himself is set to retire from the role with the release of No Time to Die, his fifth outing as James Bond and the 25th entry in the franchise overall. However, the wait for Craig’s final mission as 007 has been longer than expected on account of the delays prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
No Time to Die is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on 2 April 2021.
Source: Julien’s Auctions, Variety
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