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James Bond Author’s Gun Sells For £12,000 at Bonhams

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ianflemingA fine Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver presented by the Colt Company to the famous James Bond author, Ian Fleming in 1964, sold today (28 March 2007) at Bonhams’ Sale of Fine Modern Sporting Guns and Vintage Firearms in Knightsbridge, London for £12,000. It was bought anonymously by telephone.

Ian Fleming’s life was as colourful as that of his creation, James Bond. Born to a wealthy well-connected family he was educated at Eton and Sandhurst, found work as a journalist with Reuters, and later in banking. During the second world war he worked in Naval Intelligence as Commander Fleming, the right hand man to spymaster Admiral John Godfrey. At the end of the war a naval conference sent him to Jamaica where he fell in love with the island which became his base for writing the Bond novels at his home `Goldeneye’.

The Colt gift to Fleming remained in his keeping until his death in 1964. The revolver is accompanied with a letter of authentication. Patrick Hawes, Head of Sporting Guns at Bonhams says: “The .357 Magnum is one of the hardest hitting handgun calibres around.

It is believed that a very senior executive at Colt was so impressed with Fleming’s work that he had the Python specially made for him. Fleming owned a number of Colt weapons during his lifetime. In presenting Fleming with this gift Colt may well have been thanking him for referring to a Colt .45 Peacemaker in `The Man with the Golden Gun’ used by Scaramanga, the KGB villain who was previously a circus trick-shot artist.

The left side of the revolver’s action frame is engraved, ‘PRESENTED TO IAN FLEMING BY COLT’S PATENT FIRE ARMS MFG. CO’. The snub-nosed revolver has a short 21?2in. barrel, with the bore in excellent condition.

Over the years Ian Fleming took some criticism for leaving Bond exposed and under-gunned with the Italian Beretta .25. In “Doctor No” Bond abandoned his Beretta as he was ordered to begin carrying a Walther PPK 7.65mm as his standard issue firearm. So around the time that Fleming was writing “The Man with the Golden Gun”, Colt presented the .357 Magnum to him.

The reason that Fleming never armed James Bond with the powerful, heavy, bulky Colt may be that it would have spoiled the line of 007’s immaculate dinner jacket, while the PPK being a smaller and lighter weapon was easier to conceal.

For more details visit Bonhams.com

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