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Bond won't let you down |
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By: Agencies |
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Date:
2008-11-01 |
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Place: LONDON |
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imaging/sameer pawar | Shaken by the gyrations of the financial markets? Maybe a look at James Bond memorabilia as an investment would stir your imagination.
Experts say the value of 007 memorabilia has shot up, not least because of the world premiere on Wednesday of Quantum of Solace, the new Bond movie starring British actor Daniel Craig.
At the top are 007's cars, most notably a 1965 Aston Martin driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger and Thunderball. The gadget-laden car fetched more than £1 million (Rs 7.9 crore) at auction in the United States two years ago. But there are less pricey ways of owning a piece of Bond memorabilia. Original British posters advertising Dr No, the first of the action-packed films, can fetch between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh.
Bruce Marchant, co-owner of The Reel Poster Gallery in London, said, "Prices for Bond film posters have risen over the past 15 years. While the prices sometimes stabilise, they've never gone down," he added.
Bond film posters have a loyal fan base, mostly in Britain, continental Europe, the United States and Japan.
"Many people buy them and never sell them again," he said.
In demand
First editions of Ian Fleming's Bond books are also sought after as collectors' items. Philip Errington, deputy director at auction house Sotheby's in London, said, "A first edition of the first Bond book Casino Royale, 1953, is expected to fetch around Rs 9.6 lakh at Sotheby's literature sale in December."
"To own a first edition of Casino Royale is to end all for Fleming collectors," said Errington. Other 007 editions, such as You Only Live Twice and The Man with the Golden Gun can be bought for a few hundred pounds. |
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