To celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond on film, Christie’s has announced 50 Years of James Bond – The Auction which will present a unique opportunity to acquire a piece of Bond memorabilia direct from the archives of EON Productions.
Forty lots will be offered at an online-only auction from 28 September to 8 October 2012, with 10 further lots to highlight an invitation-only auction at Christie’s South Kensington on 5 October marking ‘Global James Bond Day’. These 10 further lots will also be accessible to both internet and live, real-time bids.
All items offered for sale will be on public exhibition at Christie’s South Kensington saleroom, 85 Old Brompton Road from 11am on Saturday, 29 September until 5pm on Friday, 5 October 2012; admittance free.
All proceeds from the auction and catalogue sales will benefit twelve charitable institutions, including the Art Fund, Women for Women International, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, the Science Museum, Barnardo's, the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, First Light, UNICEF, Parkinson's UK, ORBIS, Tickets For Troops, and ChildLine.
The auction is led by a 2008 Aston Martin 6 Litre V12 DBS 2-Door Coupe used by Daniel Craig as James Bond in Quantum of Solace. The Aston Martin DBS plays a dramatic role in the opening sequence of the film in which Bond skillfully navigates winding roads in a high speed car chase in Italy. The car is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000, with all proceeds from the sale of this lot to benefit Barnardo’s. Aston Martins have long been a favourite with Bond and first appeared in Goldfinger in 1964 with the iconic DB5. Over the years they have featured in a total of ten Bond films. James Bond drives an Aston Martin DBS in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
Also going under the hammer are props used throughout the film franchise’s long history, including items used by Jane Seymour, Christopher Lee, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Eva Green and more.
Nicolette Tomkinson, Director, Christie’s commented, “Christie’s is excited to be working directly with EON Productions to present this unique auction to mark the 50th anniversary of James Bond. With memorabilia offered from every official Bond film ever made, the auction is sure to appeal to new and established fans of the famous British spy. James Bond is much-loved by a truly international fan- base and we hope to make memorabilia from the 23 Bond films accessible to all. A broad spectrum of prices will be covered within the auction, with online lots selling without reserve and bids starting at only £50.”
- Online auction – www.christies.com/bond From Friday, 28 September to Monday, 8 October 2012, forty lots will be sold in an online auction allowing Bond fans from around the world to bid in real time for memorabilia selected by EON Productions from their archives. Items on offer will represent every one of the twenty-three James Bond films, including props, costumes, posters, jewellery and more. All lots are offered without reserve, with bids starting at only £50 each; estimates for individual items start from £1,000.
- Evening Auction (invitation-only) – Christie’s South Kensington
On the evening of Friday, 5 October 2012, to mark ‘Global James Bond Day’, a live evening charity auction will offer ten `star’ lots. Items on offer will include James Bond experiences, as well as handpicked highlights from the EON Archives with some from the much anticipated new film, Skyfall, which will be released on Friday, 26 October 2012. All proceeds from the sale are to benefit ten individual charitable institutions. The evening auction will be by invitation only and will take place at Christie’s South Kensington salerooms in London.
