You, too, can buy Scotch in a DB5 piston

OK, lady, where is that expensive Scotch? (File photo by The Spy Commander)

For those who have more money than sense, you can buy a really expensive Scotch whisky in a piston from an Aston Martin DB5.

How expensive? Well, one bottle is being sold in Ontario for C$85,000 (not quite $66,400), according to the National Post.

Looking west, another bottle is being sold in Vancouver for a mere C$75,000 (not quite $58,600), the Vancouver Sun reports.

To be sure, doesn’t this appear to be an official Eon Productions merchandising move. But it definitely plays on Goldfinger, Eon’s 1964 Bond film that turned 007 into a global phenomenon.

The Scotch involved is being marketed under the name “1964” (the year Goldfinger came out).

There are only 25 bottles of the stuff. According to the Vancouver Sun story, you can’t just belly up to the bar (or liquor store). According to the Sun:

So slow down and put your wallet away, money bags. You need to win a draw to earn the right to plop down $75,000 in exchange for some old whisky stored in an ancient auto part.

What makes this Scotch so special? Here are some details from the National Post:

This particular edition was poured out of its cask in 1995, making it a 31-year-old whisky, and then stored in “neutral containers” which won’t affect the flavour of the liquid until it is put up for sale. It is bottled at 49.6 per cent alcohol per volume, or ABV (by law, a Scotch whisky must be bottled at minimum 40 per cent ABV). In comparison, an unfortified wine is generally around 12 per cent ABV.

That’s a long way from those James Bond lunch boxes I remember as a kid.

James Bond lunchbox seen around U.S. school yards, circa 1965-66

Reminder: Cashing in on collectibles can be tricky

First edition copy of 1953’s Casino Royale sold at auction several years ago.

This week, a set of Ian Fleming U.K. first edition books with Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and short stories went on sale for the princely (kingly?) sum of 475,000 British pounds ($649,000), according to the BBC

This set of first-edition Fleming books includes inscriptions by the author on 10 of the 14 books. That has jumped up the asking price.

The sale is the latest reminder of how volatile it can be cashing in on collectibles.

Back in 2015, a Bond collector in the U.S. (a friend of mine) put up his collection of U.K. and U.S. first-edition Bond books. The payments varied greatly by title and other factors.

In the case of the 2015 sale, an uncorrected proof of From Russia With Love fetched a higher price than a first-edition Casino Royale. The collector also sold off original Bond film posters.

In general, collecting can be volatile. You can encounter ups and downs for a variety of reasons.

Meanwhile, with the new sale of Fleming books, a copy of A Field Guide of Birds of the West Indies by ornithologist James Bond (for whom Fleming named his character after) is also included, according to the BBC.

As an aside, I’ll happily entertain legitimate bids for my 1964 copy of Daredevil No. 1, autographed by Stan Lee.

Funko Pops are back in action again

No Time to Die teaser poster

James Bond Funko Pops are back in action again, including No Time to Die versions.

The online 007 Store today made the following Funko Pops available for pre-order:

—James Bond No Time to Die version. Price: 12 British pounds (about $15.70).

—Safin. Same price.

—Nomi. Same price.

—Paloma. Same price.

There is also a James Bond Moonraker also available for pre-order. Again, the same price.

Another inexpensive gift from the 007 Store

Maud Adams in an Octopussy publicity still.

The 007 Store has another inexpensive gift: A replica Octopussy robe like the one Maud Adams wore in the 1983 James Bond film.

Seven, or 007, of the silk robes are for sale. The price: 949 British pounds, or a tick under $1,200, each.

Here’s a description from the website:

This unique collectors’ piece is a recreation of the iconic silk robe worn by Octopussy in Bond’s thirteenth film adventure. Just seven robes have been handmade exclusively for us by luxury loungewear experts MENG, following the original design in the Bond Archive. Each robe is beautifully boxed and comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity from Eon Productions.

This is the latest in a line of pricey 007 products. Aston Martin is selling replica DB5 cars for about $3.5 million complete with gadgets (but not legal to drive on public streets or roads). Aston announced two years ago it would build up to 25 of the cars.

Last year, Neiman Marcus offered seven “stocking stuffers” of a $700,007 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera cars “designed by 007 himself” Daniel Craig, complete with a limited-edition Omega watch and tickets to the No Time to Die premiere.

UPDATE (July 8): According to the 007 Store, all seven Octopussy robes sold out.

007 Magazine out with a Daniel Craig issue

007 Magazine has come out with an issue about the five-film Daniel Craig era of James Bond movies.

The publication has an article examining Craig’s run. The 76-page issue also contains previously published material.

The price is 19.99 British pounds, $30.99 and 26.99 euros.

For more information about the issue, CLICK HERE.

Behind the scenes with the replica Aston Martin DB5s

Iconic publicity still for Goldfinger with Sean Connery leaning against the Aston Martin DB5.

Aston Martin has come out with a video providing a peek concerning how it is producing 25 replica DB5 sports cars like the one Sean Connery drove in Goldfinger.

Chris Corbould, a long-time special effects creator on Bond films, is involved in installing the gadgets. Based on the video, it appears to the smoke screen and other extras will be a little more sophisticated than the ones John Stears installed in the Goldfinger DB5.

Just a reminder The replicas won’t come cheap. They’re priced at 2.75 million British pounds ($3.56 million at current exchange rates) each. Deliveries will begin in 2020.

And one more thing. They won’t be street legal (or road legal as Aston Martin phrased it in an August 2018 press release).

You can view the video below.

007 Magazine comes out with publications for 40th

007 Magazine logo

Graham Rye’s 007 Magazine marked its 40th anniversary this year. It’s coming out with multiple issues this year available for pre-order.

Among them:

–An issue shipping in May featuring ” promotional items and collectables marketing tie-ins for” Bond films in the U.K. and U.S.

–An issue shipping in June. It’s a re-issue from 1995 concerning GoldenEyeAn  and has “been re-mastered, re-typeset, and re-scanned from the original transparencies & photographs and digitally printed for the highest quality reproduction.”

–An issue shipping in June about 1989’s Licence to Kill, the second and final 007 film starring Timothy Dalton.

For more information about ordering these and other issues, CLICK HERE.

MI6 Confidential looks at 007 film music

Cover to the Dr. No soundtrack cover

MI6 Confidential is out with a new issue that includes a number of features about James Bond music and songs.

Included in issue 48:

–An interview with Monty Norman, composer of The James Bond Theme. (Yes the blog knows about how John Barry did the arrangement and the argument has been made Barry added bits from his own previous compositions.)

— A look at David Arnold’s score for Quantum of Solace, his fifth (and for now now, at least) his final in the Eon-made 007 series.

— A look at connections between Paul McCartney and Bond.

There are non-musical articles, including one about Latin American politics as explored by Quantum of Solace.

The price is 7 British pounds, $9.50 and 8.50 euros. For more information about the contents and ordering, CLICK HERE.

Supposed 007 gun apparently withdrawn from auction

Bond gets a new gun in Dr. No.

A Walther PPK that was billed as being in Dr. No apparently has been withdrawn from auction. The listing for the gun now says, “This lot is no longer available.” The full listing had been online as late as Wednesday afternoon.

The firearm was listed as having been owned by actor Bernard Lee and used in the scene where Bond is told to start using the PPK. The story went that the crew needed a gun and Lee provided his. The firearm “was gifted to the vendor,” according to original listing.

Attentive 007 fans noted that the film used the Walther PP, rather than the PPK, in the first James Bond films. The listing had referenced that but still said the PPK being auctioned was legitimate.

“It is famously known that a Walther PP, not a PPK was in fact used in the balance of the filming- and likely Bernard Lee’s ‘live and unregistered’ PPK was inappropriate for filming on location and Eon’s PP was the only substitute available. This is therefore, the first of the famous James Bond Walther PPKs to appear in a Bond film.”

007 scripts and a gun to be auctioned

Screenplay title card for Thunderball (1965) that references Jack Whittingham

Thunderball scripts and related documents from writer Jack Whittingham and a Walther PPK that belonged to actor Bernard Lee are to be sold at separate auctions.

On Dec. 11, “seven items from the personal archive of the daughter of acclaimed British playwright and screenwriter Jack Whittingham will be auctioned” according to a statement by Bonhams.

Whittingham was the screenwriter employed by Kevin McClory in an attempt to make a James Bond film a reality. The project wasn’t successful and Ian Fleming wrote his Thunderball novel based on the material. A court fight ensued. In a settlement, McClory got the film rights to the novel. Eon Productions brought McClory into the fold for 1965’s Thunderball. McClory was involved with competing 007 projects of which only one, 1983’s Never Say Never Again, was made.

Among the items being auctioned by Sylvan Whittingham Mason are:

–A 35-page treatment dated Nov. 10, 1959 and titled James Bond of the Secret Service.

–First draft script titled Longitude 78 West.

–Letters and documents between Whittingham, McClory, Ian Fleming and others.

Bernard Lee (1908-1981)

Meanwhile, a Walther PPK handed to Sean Connery’s 007 in an early scene of 1962’s Dr. No is being auctioned, according to the BBC. An excerpt from the story:

The Walther PPK pistol was owned at the time by M actor Bernard Lee, who brought it on set when a prop was not available.

A letter signed by Lee confirms the then fully-active gun was the “first ever to appear in a James Bond film”.

Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert described the piece as a “superlative piece of British film history”.

In the scene, M forces Bond to give up his Beretta .25 handgun (“It jammed on you last job.”) and take the Walther instead. The scene was a straight adaption of Fleming’s 1958 novel.

UPDATE (1:20 p.m., New York time): On social media, some fans say the gun seen in Dr. No is really a Walther PP, not a PPK. As a result, they’re questioning how valid this item is. A website (new to me) called the Internet Movie Firearms Data Base states this as so. (The site looks similar to Wikipedia with a logo looking similar the Internet Movie Data Base). So if you’re thinking about bidding, Caveat Emptor.

UPDATE (4:50 p.m., New York time): The blog looked up the actual listing for the gun being auctioned. Here’s part of what the listing says:

“This Walther PPK was the personal property of Bernard Lee (who played ‘M’) and was gifted to the vendor (referred to as ‘your boy’ in above letter). According to Eon Productions- the ‘call list’ for this scene (list of props required for filming) included ‘a gun’ however, said gun was not available at the time of filming so Bernard Lee bought in his own. It is famously known that a Walther PP, not a PPK was in fact used in the balance of the filming- and likely Bernard Lee’s ‘live and unregistered’ PPK was inappropriate for filming on location and Eon’s PP was the only substitute available. This is therefore, the first of the famous James Bond Walther PPKs to appear in a Bond film.”

I have the feeling that explanation isn’t going to satisfy many, but there you have it.