007 and counting. The weeks will be ticking down to October 4th, which is the date for a very special auction that will take place at Bonhams in central London. James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore’s personal collection of memorabilia is being put into auction by the late actor’s family, with part of the proceeds going to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), which appointed Roger as a goodwill ambassador in 1991.
Sir Roger, who played 007 between 1973 and 1985 in seven smash-hit movies, passed away in 2017, and left a large personal collection of memorabilia that he had accumulated during his acting career. His family have announced that 180 lots of this memorabilia will be put into the auction, including dinner jackets from two Bond films (Octopussy and A View To A Kill), a special edition Omega Seamaster watch, a signed portrait of Roger, and a ‘large collection’ of silk ties and cravats collected by the star over the years. There is also a special travel backgammon set, which Sir Roger took with him when shooting the Bond movies to regularly take on Bond producer Cubby Broccoli at the game between takes.
The auction lots will also include some of Moore’s personal art collection, such as ceramics and prints (he had a real passion for collecting items of art), and will include some of his own drawings (he had a real talent for drawing and cartoons, a skill he picked up earlier in his career).
From a View to a Thrill
Harvey Cammell, Bonhams global director for valuations and private collections, told the UK’s media: ‘Roger Moore really was one of the leading actors of his generation… an icon, a true legend, both as an actor and as a Bond. He was so suave and so charming; he had his own style which he very much brought to his roles, and that style actually comes out in the sale’. Cammell added: ‘The sale will be of huge international interest: there’s never been a Bond actor who’s put so many items of his up for sale. It’s a unique position to be in’.
Pleasingly for 007 fans, the sale has also been organised to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Roger’s debut as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973), and the overcoat he wore in the movie will also be included in the auction.
In a statement also issued to the British media, Roger’s children – Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian – explained: ‘We know how much our father meant to so many people across the globe… He was also a kind and generous individual, as understandably proud of his charitable work as his acting career. We are delighted to be able to share his legacy with his many fans’.
Roger takes on Cubby at backgammon during a break in Bond filming.