Bond's wallet... Or notebook?
Charmed & Dangerous
Posts: 7,358MI6 Agent
Ive been trying to work out what kind of wallet Bond has. In one of the novels, or maybe one of Fleming's short stories, it mentions Bond had a notebook. Does any one have any idea what this would look like? A traditional wallet or literally somewhere he could write things as well as store money?
"How was your lamb?" "Skewered. One sympathises."
Comments
I'm just trying to imagine what kind of wallet Bond would have. We see his moneyclip in CR, but no glimpse of how we carries aound that unlimited expense account...
Thanks for your input though, agents... The quest continues... :007)
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
I'm sure he also needed a large note case to better store his prophylactics!
I can better imagine how Bond managed his personal effects, since I myself is a creature of habit in terms of how I store the stuff I need to have with me when I leave the house (wallet, glasses, hanky, keys, hand sanitizer, lol) and for me, all these must be on my pants. He must have had this huge wallet in his left hip/butt pocket and the large cigarette case in the right pocket, since he must have pulled out that particular item more often than his wallet.
I don't remember Fleming saying anything specific about it being leather, ostrich, crocodile or whatever. Good question.
Yes I recall reading Fleming using the word pigskin, maybe for Bond's luggage? How rash of him. I bet he would never be scratching around for it though
(I was on patrol and saw it in the window) the gentleman in the store told me the colour of the pigskin cover was called London tan, and this was the most popular colour to dye pigskin
and over the years nearly all pigskin products ive seen are in this London tan shade ?
a couple of rubs and it would double in size.
( I know ALL the old jokes )
then since they had to carry the larger sized currencies that were in circulation at the time. Gentlemen like Fleming carried these in their coat breast pocket.
Going back to the original question - one must keep in mind that not only were
the notebook/wallets larger in England in Bond's time because the currency was larger - they were also not heavy, because there were no credit cards then. Even identity cards and licenses were not laminated. Combine this with the fact that men's trousers had pleats and were on the baggy side with large pockets and you can understand why Bond would have had no problem carrying a notecase and cigarette case an lighter in his trouser pockets without them being seen or even being an obstruction when sitting.
Speaking of DAF (the novel of course and not the movie), about the location of a gentleman's notecase during Bond's time, maybe the below excerpt is an exception in Bond's routine, or maybe it was routine for him to use his hip pocket. Note that he is already missing his coat and unless he had foresight of that happening, the pants pocket must have been his default location for his wallet. Then of course, this is literature and Fleming might have needed a convenient sequence of events to not only highlight the drama of Bond's disheveled clothing, but to still also have on his person some of his important personal effects such as cash and his passport. But no matter, this passage in some way factually establishes where Bond kept his wallet...if not for all times then at least during the timeframe of DAF.
"Bond took the Beretta, feeling the warmth of her on the metal. He flicked out the magazine. Three rounds left. And one in the breach. He replaced the magazine, put the gun on safe and tucked it into the top of his trousers. For the first time he realized that his coat was gone. One of his shirt sleeves hung in tatters. He tore it off and threw it away. He felt for the cigarette case in his right-hand hip pocket. It was gone. But in the left-hand pocket there was still his passport and note-case. He pulled them out. By the light of the moon he could see that they were cracked arid dented. He felt for his money in the note-case. It was still there. He put the things back in his pocket.
oo7 was a love'em and leave'em kinda guy. I doubt he ever bothered with anything like an old sheepskin condom!
But then maybe if there was a brand made from "pigskin"?
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Given the amounts of money and even the cheque book that Bond's notecase/pocket-book contains at various points, it must have been quite large. But, Bond seems to have no problem with overloading his pockets, as, in CR, he divides 24 million francs in casino plaques equally and puts them into his coat pockets - the resulting bulges in his dinner jacket cannot have looked very elegant! (In CR, Bond also jots down some figures into a small note-book after gambling. Carrying his Beretta (or later the Walther), probably also an extra clip or two, his large notecase, a notebook & pencil/pen, large cigarette case, Ronson lighter (at least as large as a Zippo and definitely heavier), small knife, handkerchief (NOT a display kerchief, except after his Americanisation in LALD), etc., it must have been a challenge to keep his clothes look neat and smooth.)
As for the colour, my guess would be black, as most of Bond's accessories seem to be black (lighter, cigarette case, black leather belt, black shoes, black knitted silk ties...).
Also, Fleming seems to use notecase & pocket-book interchangeably, at least in several instances (for example in LALD).
Can anyone shed any light on this? Maybe this is indeed a "Flemingism", or just inconsistency, or unexplained differences between British and American English in the 1950s (and the terms may or may not have the same meanings today); I guess somebody would have to know how these terms were used in the 1950s.
On a side note, it might be very interesting to compile a complete list of Bond's 'everyday carry' items.
Personally, I don't use a wallet. Just another item to forget or add weight to my pockets.
Welcome to the club!
In regards to your post, though Fleming described Bond carrying these items, there are two points to keep in mind. First, Bond's suits were tailor made and when fitted for a suit by a tailor, they ask what the customer usually carries on them on a day to day basis - this way they can alter the size and number of pockets in the trousers and jacket. Second, English and American suits of the 1950's (particularly the trousers) were not as slim cut as modern suits. There was a lot more room even when buttoned and as such one could carry bulky items without showing. Combine this with the tailor being able to adjust to a customer's build and you can see why Bond could carry his notecase, cigarette case, lighter, small notebook, pen, comb, handkerchief, car keys and passport without any problem. In fact, he could carry all the items except the notebook in his trousers. They had large deep pockets and had pleats. They also had extra smaller pockets inside the larger ones to accomodate things like loose change, cigarette lighters and combs.
As far as Fleming either using the term "notecase" or "pocketbook", if you look up the definition online you will find both terms are used to describe a wallet, though notecase was used during Fleming's time and was a British term and has not been in use since then. In the US pocketbook and handbag are interchangeable terms, usually a woman's pocketbook is a small bag and a handbag is normally a much larger bag.
In the illustrations from the 50's you'll notice how much more room the men have in their suits and and in regards to the men's trousers noticed how much higher on the waist they were worn. This is another reason they had deeper pockets and in fact even the material in the crotch was very deep. You could sit down and barely feel the trousers against the groin.