Per reports originating with the BBC, the “Golden Gun” from the 1974 James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun has been stolen from Elstree Studios. [Read more…]
The Side Arms of James Bond, 007: Part 2 – 1962 Sports Illustrated Article By Ian Fleming
This is a little “off topic” from movie props, but thought this would make a nice companion article to the one published a few days ago, “The Side Arms of James Bond, 007: From The Walther PPK to the P99“.
I came across an interesting article from 1962 written by Ian Fleming about the guns used by James Bond in the novels (the first Bond film, Dr. No, was released that same year). The article is framed by the actual correspondence between Fleming and a fan of the novels (Geoffrey Boothroyd) with real world firearms expertise, showcasing his recommendations for the character and rationale for certain side arm choices, and other related exchanges and anecdotes.
The March 19, 1962 article – “The Guns of James Bond” By Ian Fleming – is available to read at the Sports Illustrated website, SI.com, with scans of the actual magazine available as well in the “SI Vault”. [Read more…]
Star Trek: The Original Series Props – Auction House Archive, Part 1
As noted in recent articles, there are many Star Trek “Original Series” (1966-1969) era prop replicas that have been traded in the marketplace as authentic, fooling experts, dealers, and auction houses, as well as collectors.
As a result, there are profound challenges in authenticating the iconic, high value props from this classic television series, especially the Tricorder, Communicator, and Phaser. The current ’state of the marketplace’ poses a significant potential risk for Star Trek collectors who could inadvertently buy an inauthentic piece.
The most productive manner in which collectors can help other collectors to mitigate this risk is by talking to one another, sharing information, and spreading awareness of the ’state of the marketplace’ for these types of props and underscoring the importance of formal and thorough authentication.
I thought it would be productive to catalog and archive information relevant to these props. [Read more…]
“Guns Magazine” Stembridge Gun Rentals Article – Circa 1998
Thanks to Brandon Alinger for sending me this article some time ago. Unfortunately, I forgot I even had it before the Little John’s Stembridge Auction, as it featured some pieces actually auctioned off back in June (notice the grips on the Payback and Titanic pistols match one of each auctioned off). This is an excellent article about Stembridge Gun Rentals written by John Fasano with incredible photos by Ichiro Nagata.
I did recently contact the writer of the article, and interestingly enough, Stembridge closed before the article was published, so it seems it must have been done right toward the end.
Here is a link to the full article: SHOOT FOR EFFECT [Read more…]