James Bond gun withdrawn from auction over 'fake' row

001001
in News Posts: 1,575
A James Bond gun has been withdrawn from auction because experts "cannot agree" on its authenticity.

Actor Bernard Lee, who played M in Dr No in 1962, claimed in a letter the Walther PPK pistol was handed to Sean Connery in the opening scenes.

Notes from the movie's producers also verify the fleeting appearance of the weapon, which was replaced for the rest of the film.

Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said its sale was pulled "with a heavy heart".

The live Walther PPK was owned by Mr Lee at the time of filming, who brought it on set when a prop was not available.

Provenance notes provided by filmmakers Eon Productions said that Mr Lee's "live and unregistered" PPK was handed to Sean Connery in the first scenes only, but was "inappropriate for filming on location". A Walther PP was used for the rest of the film.

"This is therefore, the first Walther PPK to appear in a Bond film," the notes read.

A signed letter from Mr Lee also says: "This pistol is the first ever to appear in a James Bond film."

Mr Humbert said he had received a number of expert queries, but there was no reason to doubt the gun's provenance.

The decision to stop its sale was made "in full consultation with the vendor", he said.

"Given such a tide of differing opinion, the only course was to regretfully withdraw it, pending further diligence and investigation," he said.

"Even the experts cannot agree."

The pistol was estimated to fetch £80,000 at Humbert and Ellis auctioneers next week.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-46384001

Comments

  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    Another story about the Cancelled Auction of the first ppk in Dr no
    Fake first ppk or not in Dr no ?

    104513421_bondwaltherppk-2-640x491.jpg

    https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/12/05/auction-canceled/
  • Posts: 19,339
    Wasn't the first pistol ever in a Bond film the guns used by the Three Blind Mice ?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Wasn't the first pistol ever in a Bond film the guns used by the Three Blind Mice ?

    Ha ha! True. See how they run!
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Wasn't the first pistol ever in a Bond film the guns used by the Three Blind Mice ?

    It says “James Bond’s first gun.”

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    I think it was almost too much to expect for a hitherto unknown Bernard Lee anecdote to turn out to be true. That was when alarm bells must have started ringing for the Bond firearms experts.
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    I think it was almost too much to expect for a hitherto unknown Bernard Lee anecdote to turn out to be true. That was when alarm bells must have started ringing for the Bond firearms experts.

    "Notes from the movie’s producers also confirmed the brief appearance of the weapon, which was replaced for the rest of the film by a Walther PP."
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Wasn't the first pistol ever in a Bond film the guns used by the Three Blind Mice ?

    What about the gunbarrel sequence?
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Wasn't the first pistol ever in a Bond film the guns used by the Three Blind Mice ?

    What about the gunbarrel sequence?

    That was Bob simmons in the gunbarrel sequence not james bond.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited December 2018 Posts: 45,489
    001 wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Wasn't the first pistol ever in a Bond film the guns used by the Three Blind Mice ?

    What about the gunbarrel sequence?

    That was Bob simmons in the gunbarrel sequence not james bond.

    It was an answer to the post I quoted.

    And I am sure Simmons was supposed to be Bond.
  • 001001
    edited December 2018 Posts: 1,575
    001 wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Wasn't the first pistol ever in a Bond film the guns used by the Three Blind Mice ?

    What about the gunbarrel sequence?

    That was Bob simmons in the gunbarrel sequence not james bond.

    It was an answer to the post I quoted.

    And I am sure Simmons was supposed to be Bond.

    Sorry i thought you meant james bond first ppk which was up for auction.

    The ppk was given to connery credited as james bond, not simmons.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Yes, but you wrote Bond, not Connery. I understand what you are saying, though. Sean Connery IS James Bond.
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    The story was:

    Actor Bernard Lee, who played M in Dr No in 1962, claimed in a letter the Walther PPK pistol was handed to Sean Connery in the opening scenes.

    It was going to be auctioned.

    Then the ppk was withdrawn from auction because they are not sure if it was the real one as claimed.

    The story is not about the first pistol in a bond film...........
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I'm sure the guys here have been joking about the "first pistol". We know the story, mate.
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    I'm sure the guys here have been joking about the "first pistol". We know the story, mate.

    Speak for yourself. You know the story.
    You don't have to speak up for them. They can speak for themselves if they want to.

    The other guys could be on another planet for all you know :)
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