It was surely a case of Double-O Heaven on 4th October when Sir Roger Moore: The Personal Collection saw a large number of items from the late 007 actor’s personal collection go before the auction hammer at Bonhams in central London.
The auction, which lasted a full nine hours, saw bids from both Britain and from around the globe, and it must have been deeply satisfying for Sir Roger’s family to witness all the interest and excitement created by his collection, which he had accumulated over the course of his long career as one of the UK’s leading TV and film stars who also carved out a loyal fan following across the world. Indeed, Roger was recognised by people no matter where he went, but remained ever the gentleman when it came to interacting with his legions of fans.
The ‘live’ auction, which had at times all the excitement of an Ian Fleming short story, was held (appropriately enough) at the main Bonhams auction house in New Bond Street, and drew in a considerable number of attendees who either submitted bids for items or just wished to be there and witness what was a unique piece of Bond cultural history. Sir Roger Moore (1927-2017), of course, was the third actor to play Ian Fleming’s secret agent in the EON franchise of films, and starred in a total of (00)7 smash-hit movies, spy adventure films which remain as popular today as when they were first released. Roger was passionate about art, literature and collecting unusual or unique items more generally. He also built up a large number of items connected to his career as 007, including souvenirs, gifts of clothes and general material sent to him by his adoring fans.
Live and Let Buy
Unsurprisingly, there was particular interest in a Cyril Castle navy cashmere double-breasted coat made for Roger to wear in his debut 007 movie Live and Let Die (1973). This sold for a cool £19,200 inc. premium. There was also very evident interest in all the other items of clothing contained in Sir Roger’s collection. A Douglas Hayward single-button suit jacket made for Roger for Octopussy (1983), for example, was sold for £11,520 inc. premium. Similarly, a double-breasted mohair dinner suit made for Roger to wear in A View To A Kill (1985) sold for an eye-watering £25,600 inc. premium.
But, as well as a large number of stills, pieces of art and other intriguing items that had caught Sir Roger’s eye on his extensive travels over the years, Bond aficionados were also able to bid for posters for Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me and A View To A Kill, which all sold for very healthy prices. Moreover, a film programme for Octopussy, personally signed by Sir Roger, sold for £8,320 inc. premium. Sir Roger’s personal Gucci address and notebook also sold for £6,400 inc. premium.
As many Bond fans will know, Roger loved to play backgammon during breaks on set while shooting his movies, and some of his games with Bond producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, who was just as competitive as his Bond star, became something of a legend among the crew on set. A large red simulated leather backgammon case belonging to Sir Roger sold for £15,360 at the auction, while Roger’s travelling backgammon set sold for £10,880.
The top lot of the Bonham’s Roger Moore auction was a stunning collection of 20 Swatch 007 wristwatches in a presentation case, which was dedicated to Sir Roger to commemorate 40 years of 007 on screen. This was sold for a truly golden £76,000. The JBIFC suspects that Roger would be more than happy had he been around to see the love and interest his personal collection created. The revenue raised will go partly to Sir Roger’s family and partly to charity (Sir Roger was a keen and dedicated UN advocate for children, and visited many UNICEF projects around the world).
All in all, Sir Roger Moore was truly the spy we all loved.
Roger and Cubby play backgammon during a break.