Pistol from James Bond movie Dr. No sells for huge sum at auction

The classic James Bond movie Dr. No that starred Sean Connery in 1962 was the subject of a recent prop auction, one that involved the Walther PP pistol used by the actor. The auction was surprising as the prop ended up selling for considerably more than experts had estimated at $256,000 USD.Dr. No is the first movie in the James Bond film franchise; Sean Connery starred in the leading role and he, as you'd expect, did so with a prop pistol that made numerous appearances in the flick. That same Walther PP pistol was recently sold by Julien's Auctions.

Experts had estimated the sale price at $150,000 to $200,000, but that wasn't the case. The company reports that the pistol sold for a huge $256,000 on Thursday. The winner wasn't named per their request for anonymity, though the auction house did note that the recipient is a James Bond fan and an American.

It's not uncommon for classic movie props and other items, such as posters, to sell for high figures at auction, though not many exceed the quarter-million mark. Vintage video game gear is also notable in the auction world — a fully sealed copy of the classic game Super Mario Bros. 3 recently sold at auction for $156,000, for example. As well, an unopened Pokemon card set from 1999 sold for $56,000 back in 2018.

As for the James Bond pistol, the item was auctioned as part of Julien's Auctions' Icons & Idols Trilogy: Hollywood series, which had also included other notable items like pilot helmets sported by Tom Cruise in Top Gun, a sweater worn by Fred Rogers, and a predator costume from Predator 2, among other things.