I think you are right, Spyguise were code 2 and Collectibles were code 3. I was at vectis some years ago and there was a collectibles gold corgi Aston with a gold ring around it? In a standard type metal hobby case. That thing went for £1600 ! I passed and bought a 1977 film premiere corgi lotus esprit for £800.
Here is the final instalment of my contribution (Hooray they cried).
CASINO ROYALE PLINTH SET - Limited to 200 (Code 2)
A nice set, produced by Goldstar Stockists and Corgi, mounted on a plinth they all came with an identical metal plate stating 1 of 200 and small inkjet printed certificate, released late 2006 early 2007.
CORGI SILVER BRIEFCASE - Limited to 2,520
Released by Corgi in 2007, not a bad set of 8 chrome plated cars in an aluminium case foam padded, also came with an envelope that had 8 cards in describing each model. Some had certificates mine does not. I have been offered number 0001 and 0007 but felt the asking price was not worth it. I wonder if this set was released on the back of the Collectables craze at the time?
STRATTON MOTORS ASTON MARTIN DESK PEN - released 1996?
I was not sure about putting this in but what the heck somebody might be interested in it.
Now the Stratton Motor Co. were asked to source two DB5's for stunt work in Goldeneye, which they duly did, I can only surmise that they produced this Desk Pen as a form of promotion afterwards.
Original photograph of the Aston and Ferrari on set.
Taken from an old motor magazine an article about the Stratton Motor Co. and their involvement with Goldeneye.
Compettion from the same magazine....now can you see the error in this picture?
Answers on a postcard please
THE MYSTERY SET
Right now these last two are a mystery to me, and only posted just in case somebody might be able to help.
I purchased both of these from someone in the USA about ten years ago, I asked the seller about the items and all he could say was 'my son won them in a draw at a show'.
As you can see they are both from the Corgi Collection that was released in 1997, they both carry the ID 65001 which was the ID for the TSWLM Lotus Esprit. The box size is identical to the standard window box, they are basically blank boxes with laser prints glued into position. The wording on the back is basically the same as you would find on the inside of the 65001 TSWLM Lotus Esprit except it has some odd sentences deleted and stops abruptly mid sentence at the bottom and comes with a rather crude print of the associated film.
The Corgi logo and associated graphics are pin sharp so have not been rescanned. The girl logo appears on the boxes of the 1997 set, but the gun logo is a later version as used on the TND Era Generic Aston Martin Box but the tint shading resembles the Goldeneye Aston Martin Box version.
The underside is the usual Corgi information plus warning symbols, but the date is 1998 and not 1997.
On the front they use the word 'Collectibles' and not 'Collectables'.
If anybody can provide any further information on the above item it would be appreciated.
I hope I have not made any errors or assumptions on the above, If I have please let me know and I will correct this post. -{
Looks like you have some mock ups there bud. As crude as most are and the mistakes seem to fit in. I have seen mock ups with gibberish writing as the content is not the point.
Here is the final instalment of my contribution (Hooray they cried).
CASINO ROYALE PLINTH SET - Limited to 200
A nice set, produced by Goldstar Stockists and Corgi, mounted on a plinth they all came with an identical metal plate stating 1 of 200 and small inkjet printed certificate, released late 2006 early 2007.
I thought this was a quality release and I think its a code 2 unless anyone knows better.
CORGI SILVER BRIEFCASE - Limited to 2,520
Released by Corgi in 2007, not a bad set of 8 chrome plated cars in an aluminium case foam padded, also came with an envelope that had 8 cards in describing each model. Some had certificates mine does not. I have been offered number 0001 and 0007 but felt the asking price was not worth it. I wonder if this set was released on the back of the Collectables craze at the time?
This was a great release, meant as a limited through Corgi distributors with limited certificate it ended up being a play.com special edition. Some got through with certs and I believe the production run went 1000 pieces over but as they were not certificated its hard to know.
this set spawned some interesting fakes. the easiest one was swap the cars with ones from the regular individual boxes. this gave you a suitcase of regular cars ( one got nearly £300) and also individually boxed silver cars ( at the time up to £100 each). Some bright spark hard the silver cars gold plated and created a gold edition set!
STRATTON MOTORS ASTON MARTIN DESK PEN - released 1996?
I was not sure about putting this in but what the heck somebody might be interested in it.
Now the Stratton Motor Co. were asked to source two DB5's for stunt work in Goldeneye, which they duly did, I can only surmise that they produced this Desk Pen as a form of promotion afterwards.
Original photograph of the Aston and Ferrari on set.
Taken from an old motor magazine an article about the Stratton Motor Co. and their involvement with Goldeneye.
My body panels came from Strattons when they crashed one of the Goldeneye cars in France!
-{
Looks like you have some mock ups there bud. As crude as most are and the mistakes seem to fit in. I have seen mock ups with gibberish writing as the content is not the point.
Thanks for the comments Nick and the extra info, I will update my original post. -{
I was reading the classified ads in the mag and saw an advert for a dubonnet red DB5, 5 speed manual with 59k on the clock and had been restored 6 years previous at a price of...........£28,500 or you could have silver birch DB6 for £24,000.
Looks like you have some mock ups there bud. As crude as most are and the mistakes seem to fit in. I have seen mock ups with gibberish writing as the content is not the point.
Thanks for the comments Nick and the extra info, I will update my original post. -{
I was reading the classified ads in the mag and saw an advert for a dubonnet red DB5, 5 speed manual with 59k on the clock and had been restored 6 years previous at a price of...........£28,500 or you could have silver birch DB6 for £24,000.
Do you still have your Aston parts?
Yup - gathering dust until I do something with them! excuse the gaffer tape
Very interesting pieces, thank you for sharing! -{
Regarding the “Mystery Set” I think that Nick is right. It seems that these are early designs for what would eventually become the Definitive Collection! And also leading to the artwork for the 1999 DB5 04303 with the placement of the large 007 logo and smaller James Bond below the gun.
Very rare to see something like this; one for the 94060 DB5 is shown in the GF DVD extras.
Never noticed before that Corgi already used the newer gun logo on the Goldeneye box but reverted to the outdated logo for the 1997 (the TND poster artwork uses the newer logo) and 1999 releases, and even the Definitive Collection. Just saw that the two Woolworths 3-car sets have the old logo too, while the 4-car film canister set has the newer logo. Did Eon notice and complain? )
STRATTON MOTORS ASTON MARTIN DESK PEN - released 1996?
I was not sure about putting this in but what the heck somebody might be interested in it.
Now the Stratton Motor Co. were asked to source two DB5's for stunt work in Goldeneye, which they duly did, I can only surmise that they produced this Desk Pen as a form of promotion afterwards.
The pen and holder look exactly like those on the promo made for the “James Bond Junior Taveners Launch 1995” (whatever that was?) although the plinth size is slightly different. Not sure if this was made by Corgi or just used their model. (Vectis photo)
Maybe the plinth with pen and DB5 was an original Aston Martin item that could be found in mid-90's Aston Martin accessories catalogues? It does look a bit cheap for a genuine Aston Martin item but then I have seen more embarrassing items from other luxury car makers.
I would suggest that these items are cobbled together post corgi by gift and award manufacturers. They are lovely and one day I hope to have everything in my collection mounted on a plinth with a desk pen
In an earlier message it is suggested that the original model from an ingot style box may have been switched using a Directors Cut model. This and the 40th Anniversary piece (CC04307) appear to be very similar.
Can anyone shed any light on how we tell the difference and do not get conned.
I think that the bases are different but not sure.
Any help appreciated.
In order to give an accurate guide I have included the Corgi 96445 30th version in the attached pictures as this look similar to the ingot version and could be confused with one.
As you can see the cc04307 was a re-tooled version with black interior and rubber wheels.
The ingot and 96445 versions at a glance appear identical from the top, except on closer inspection the plating to the body, base, bumper and grille on the ingot version is far superior.
It is the base that highlights the differences.
Note: there are some ingot versions that do not have the number plates front and back and are attached by black screws rather than chrome.
In order to give an accurate guide I have included the Corgi 96445 30th version in the attached pictures as this look similar to the ingot version and could be confused with one.
As you can see the cc04307 was a re-tooled version with black interior and rubber wheels.
The ingot and 96445 versions at a glance appear identical from the top, except on closer inspection the plating to the body, base, bumper and grille on the ingot version is far superior.
It is the base that highlights the differences.
Note: there are some ingot versions that do not have the number plates front and back and are attached by black screws rather than chrome.
Hope this helps -{ AA
Thanks ACACIA very helpful.
And I am presuming that the Comet Miniatures and Corgi over-runs in the white boxes will all be identical to the middle version.
It is always easier to get answers to these questions when you speak with somebody that has them to compare!
Your photographs should help everyone that has an interest and should avoid any confusion, thank you.
Then in March I won a Golden Opportunity ingot for around £300 ($312.52 + $93.27 import charges of the Global Shipping Program robbery) which I thought was okay for one of the original 99 with the certificate – but without the outer box and no paperwork. Although I wouldn't have bid for an incomplete one if it wasn't for the very nice number 077 – it is almost 007, right?
A few weeks later I got an email from the seller that he had found a box and some papers that belonged to the car and asked for my address as he only had the one from the ebay GSP. In the meantime I have received the box and paperwork, and the seller wouldn't even let me pay the additional postage.
Condition is not perfect (the outer box has seen better times and the folder is a bit bent as it was stored inside the box) but I am very happy with my new acquisition (and also the one I already had without the Golden Opportunity embossing).
I have now compiled a list of ingot sales known to me and other information from the article in the Collectors Gazette March issue. I hope we can expand the list with additional information of other ingots which may be in collections (no need to disclose the purchase price, of course) or auctions that are not yet listed.
The auction has ended without a bid and was relisted. I thought £129 was okay for the condition of the box with a mint car, so I was a little surprised to see that there were no bids. But the relisted item (with the same starting price) already has a bid and is ending in five days.
It looks to me that this ingot does not have the front flap which would make it another transition version between 1b and 2. Or maybe it's just the pictures, or the flap has been cut off earlier?
Recently acquired a first version Golden Opportunity ingot complete with white outer box and all paperwork.
Rainier has this in his records as an unsold lot (#375) from Aston's Auctioneers in March of this year. He does not note, however, that it sold the following month when relisted as Lot 598 by the same seller.
Comments:
1) There are both white A4 size documents as well as tan pebble-finish copies. The "agent" on the white is blank while "108" is imprinted on the tan.
2) The certificate is present but not attached and no edition number is given.
3) The plain white outer box was not mentioned or shown in the listing but is present.
Per the description (as Rainier noted):
"This item was a gift to the vendor from John Gilbert of Corgi for his involvement in producing the initial mock-ups of the gold bar box." This would presumably put it outside the official edition of 99.
I don't usually talk costs but I know Rainier is cataloguing these so I'll state that it sold for £800, well below the auction house estimate. I believe I was the only bidder.
One thing I'm not clear on is how the edition number relates to the "agent" (that's assuming they relate at all).
Thank you both, PoorMansJB and Youknowthename, for the additional information! -{
I was aware that the Aston's ingot was relisted and sold but I was a bit lazy with updating the list. I have also just added the relisted ebay ingot that didn't sell for £500 before - the seller lowered the price significantly and the relisted ingot sold for £499.99.
The Vectis ingot was a new one for me - no. 029/099 I have not seen before elsewhere. So, about ten of the original 99 are accounted for. I wonder how many of those have survived in collections. As they were given to CEO's and marketing executives of large companies and not available to collectors, my guess is that many of those ingots were thrown away and only the gold model retained, if at all.
And I think all numbered sheets above 099 were produced before the final run, to check ink saturation and position of the numbering device. Those usually count down so that a completed stack has the number 1 on the top. So my guess is the printers started at 120 or 110 and then continued printing to 001.
1a. 'Golden Opportunity' embossed ingots with certificate (99 examples with numbered certificate on front flap, plain white outer box with pencilled edition number, 'Top Secret' folder containing two sheets with matching number)
• 004/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171528127603), autumn–winter 2014
not sold for £330 (reserve not met)/BIN £1,200
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
ex Corgi director (001–004 presented to directors of Corgi Classics Ltd. – info from Collectors Gazette article, March 2016 issue)
• 007/099
sold for £...?
presented by Corgi to Pierce Brosnan, later auctioned off for charity (info from Collectors Gazette article)
• 019/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181929340545), 18 November 2015
sold for £377.07
with certificate and outer box, with reproduction 'Top Secret' folder and original letters
• 024/099
SAS Special Auction Services (lot 208), 9 July 2014
sold for £...?
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters (?)
• 027/99
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253967063800), 6 November 2018
sold for £1,000
creased ingot, with certificate, no outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
• 029/099
Vectis (lot 680), 11 June 2003
sold for £1,200, relisted 2016 (lot 1467)
• 029/099
Vectis (lot 1467), 18 May 2016
sold for £460
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 033/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272451770735), 23 November 2016
not sold for £1,500
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
relisted 2017
• 033/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272977094556), 17 December 2017
not sold for £500
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
relisted 2018
• 033/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273005883383), 8 January 2018
not sold for £350
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 065/099
ebay UK, ... December 2013
sold for £...?
with certificate, no outer box, with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 069/099
presented to Corgi Premiums Dept. Marketing Executive Hazel Rippin (info from Collectors Gazette article)
• 077/099
ebay US (https://www.ebay.com/itm/201310309863), 25 March 2015
sold for $312.52 (+ $93.27 GSP)
RW collection
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters (found later, not present while listed)
• 090/099
Vectis (lot 4559), 24 September 2014
sold for £360
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
• 094/099
Aston's Auctioneers (lot 559), 12 June 2014
sold for £1,300
ex Corgi Design Manager John Gilbert, with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters, mint
• 096/099
Vectis (lot 1345), 7 May 2003
sold for £1,100
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
• 098/099
Vectis (lot 511), 5 October 2004
not sold, relisted (lot 1952)
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 098/099
Vectis (lot 1952), 12 April 2005
sold for £360
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 099/099
Aston's Auctioneers (lot 561), 12 June 2014
sold for £1,800
ex John Gilbert, with certificate and outer box, in unopened tissue paper, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters, mint
• 0...?/099
presented to Corgi Classics Marketing Director Lisa Thompson (info from Collectors Gazette article)
1b. Spare 'Golden Opportunity' embossed ingots (with front flap but no numbered certificate or 'Top Secret' folder)
• ebay UK
with Corgi Classics Ltd. letter, dated 10 October 2001
• Vectis (lot 1366), 6 April 2004
sold for £900
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 258), 5 July 2005
sold for £460
with outer box and leaflets
• Vectis (lot 146), 9 August 2005
sold for £1,000
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 1348), 6 September 2005
sold for £280
with outer box and leaflets
• Vectis (lot 1771), 11 December 2006
sold for £520
with outer box and copied leaflet
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 562), 12 June 2014
sold for £700
ex John Gilbert, with pre-production design visuals, white ingot mock-up, paperwork, three unnumbered certificates, thirteen 'Top Secret' folders, unnumbered letters
relisted 2018 (401551042739)
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 683), 7 August 2014
sold for £750
ex Corgi employee, with outer box, no letter
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252063068122), 27 August 2015
sold for £155
creased ingot, without front flap, no outer box, no letter
probably relisted 2018 (142836468642)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141873874314), 9 February 2016
not sold for BIN/best offer £995
with unnumbered certificate, partly ripped front flap, with outer box, no letter
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 375), 3 March 2016
not sold for £800, relisted (lot 598)
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 598), 7 April 2016
sold for £800
ex Print4 employee (printers in Nottingham who produced the ingots, present from John Gilbert), with outer box and unnumbered certificate, 'Top Secret' folder, unnumbered letters on white paper and pre-production letters on brown paper (one sheet numbered 108)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332197652419), 6 May 2017
sold for £187
creased ingot, with outer box, unnumbered letters
relisted 2018 without letters (202292796068)
• Martel Maides Guernsey (lot 1050), 30 November 2017
not sold for £420
with outer box, unnumbered certificate and "early draft of Top Secret Classified Information. Highly Confidential paperwork addressed to Peter Nash, stating that this model is a prototype"
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401551042739), 18 June 2018
not sold for $1,000
ex John Gilbert, with pre-production design visuals, white ingot mock-up, paperwork, unnumbered certificates, 'Top Secret' folders, unnumbered letters
relisted 2019 (401685859066)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401685859066), 23 January 2019
not sold for £750
ex John Gilbert, with pre-production design visuals, white ingot mock-up, paperwork, unnumbered certificates, 'Top Secret' folders, unnumbered letters
• A_A collection
with outer box
2. Embossed ingots (only embossed logos on top, without 'Golden Opportunity' and no front flap/certificate)
• dailo007 collection
• RW collection
with outer box and 'M.' letter
3a. Comet Miniatures ingots (without embossing, black logo decals on the top)
• Vectis (lot 1057), 7 December 2010
sold for £900
no outer box (?), numbered Comet certificate 020/045, signed by Shirley Eaton and Honor Blackman
• Vectis (lot 1058), 7 December 2010
sold for £620
no outer box (?), numbered Comet certificate 022/045
• Vectis (lot 3128), 20 February 2014
sold for £1,100
with outer box and unnumbered certificate with Corgi Classics Sales & Marketing Director Colin Summerbell signature, no numbered Comet certificate
3b. Comet Miniatures ingots (without embossing, black logos printed on gold cardboard)
• Martel Maides Guernsey (lot 1049), 30 November 2017
sold for £520
with outer box and unnumbered certificate with Corgi Classics Sales & Marketing Director Colin Summerbell signature, numbered Comet certificate 027/045
• ebay US (https://www.ebay.com/itm/332114066570), summer 2016–19 May 2017
not sold for $1,500/$1,250/$1,199.99/$899.99
with outer box, numbered Comet certificate 031/045
• Vectis (lot 3008), 13 December 2012
sold for £1,000
with outer box, numbered Comet certificate 037/045
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111680200261), spring–autumn 2015
not sold for £1,000
not sold for BIN/best offer £1,350
with outer box, numbered Comet certificate 039/045
4. Ingots without embossing (Comet overrun ingots?) with gold-plated Director's Cut DB5 (probably fake version using 40th anniversary model CC04307)
• Vectis (lot 1107), 15 August 2006
sold for £540
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 1367), 11 September 2006
not sold, relisted (lot 2551)
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 2551), 6 November 2006
sold for £240
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 1771), 12 February 2007
sold for £320
with outer box
A listing form Vectis, last month. Collectors seem to be scared off by previously realised prices.
I have found an earlier sale of the same ingot 029/099. In 2003 this was sold by Vectis for £1,200, and the listing didn’t even show or mention the folder. Now the same ingot fetched only £460 despite being complete ...
On November 16, two ingots were listed on ebay, and with one available since months there were three different versions for sale at the same time. One was Golden Opportunity 033/099 which had a minimum of £1,500 and has ended without a bid. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272451770735
The second ingot was one of the 45 from Comet Miniatures, no. 004. After the seller had reduced the buy-it-now price in steps from £1,500 to £400 I went for it. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192028816849
The third, currently still available is another Comet ingot, no. 031 for BIN $1,500. This is different from my Comet ingot as it doesn’t have the decals on top but instead has the logos printed on gold card and glued to the ingot. http://www.ebay.com/itm/332037893078
The seller’s description is taken directly from Donk’s answers on page 1 of this thread:
“The Comet Miniatures ingot is one of three different Corgi Golden Opportunity Ingots produced. The Comet Miniatures version is the most limited, with only 45 pieces produced (the other two versions had different ingot’s and were produced in lots of 99 and 199 pieces).
The Comet Iingot itself is constructed of a more robust card stock which was wrapped in gold foil. The hallmarks on top were individual decals of Corgi/Bond on the left and 0/2 on the right. The Comet ingot has a fold down flap, which covered the DB5 until the ingot was fully open.”
But - his ingot does not have the individual decals or a fold-down flap ... 8-)
So I have now taken a closer look at the various Comet ingots, and it seems that the first 25 or maybe 30 examples (after 022 and before 031) were different from the later numbers. The early ingots (004, 020, 022) have the individual decals, have the fold-down flap and are wrapped in wrinkly gold foil which gives a sateen sheen instead of the mirror-like gold finish of the later Comet ingots (031, 037, 039) and the Golden Opportunity versions.
Only these early Comet ingots are differently constructed, and the car is turned more to the side so that there is no triangular cutout for the left front wheel. This cutout is present on all other ingot variants, so I assume that leftover ingots from the batch without embossing were used for the later Comet ingots with the logos printed on gold paper. Maybe Comet initially only wanted to issue 25 ingots and decided later to expand the run to 45 after receiving some leftover ingots from Corgi? Also, only the later batch of Comet ingots contain cars with 007 number plates (like the 200 "over-run" DB5s available from the Corgi Collector Club) - the earlier Comet and Golden Opportunity cars do not have these stickers.
I've just discovered another Corgi 'Gold Ingot' model that collectors might be interested in. It is the winner’s prize from the British Airways 'Licensed to thrill’ promotion 2003, featured in their in-flight 'Shopping the World' duty-free brochure.
After studying the photographs this item is not one of the original Corgi 'Gold Ingot' promotion models as it isn’t numbered and the ingot doesn’t have the C.O.A fold-down flap or the the wording 'golden opportunity' embossed on the side.
Comments
CASINO ROYALE PLINTH SET - Limited to 200 (Code 2)
A nice set, produced by Goldstar Stockists and Corgi, mounted on a plinth they all came with an identical metal plate stating 1 of 200 and small inkjet printed certificate, released late 2006 early 2007.
CORGI SILVER BRIEFCASE - Limited to 2,520
Released by Corgi in 2007, not a bad set of 8 chrome plated cars in an aluminium case foam padded, also came with an envelope that had 8 cards in describing each model. Some had certificates mine does not. I have been offered number 0001 and 0007 but felt the asking price was not worth it. I wonder if this set was released on the back of the Collectables craze at the time?
STRATTON MOTORS ASTON MARTIN DESK PEN - released 1996?
I was not sure about putting this in but what the heck somebody might be interested in it.
Now the Stratton Motor Co. were asked to source two DB5's for stunt work in Goldeneye, which they duly did, I can only surmise that they produced this Desk Pen as a form of promotion afterwards.
Original photograph of the Aston and Ferrari on set.
Taken from an old motor magazine an article about the Stratton Motor Co. and their involvement with Goldeneye.
Compettion from the same magazine....now can you see the error in this picture?
Answers on a postcard please
THE MYSTERY SET
Right now these last two are a mystery to me, and only posted just in case somebody might be able to help.
I purchased both of these from someone in the USA about ten years ago, I asked the seller about the items and all he could say was 'my son won them in a draw at a show'.
As you can see they are both from the Corgi Collection that was released in 1997, they both carry the ID 65001 which was the ID for the TSWLM Lotus Esprit. The box size is identical to the standard window box, they are basically blank boxes with laser prints glued into position. The wording on the back is basically the same as you would find on the inside of the 65001 TSWLM Lotus Esprit except it has some odd sentences deleted and stops abruptly mid sentence at the bottom and comes with a rather crude print of the associated film.
The Corgi logo and associated graphics are pin sharp so have not been rescanned. The girl logo appears on the boxes of the 1997 set, but the gun logo is a later version as used on the TND Era Generic Aston Martin Box but the tint shading resembles the Goldeneye Aston Martin Box version.
The underside is the usual Corgi information plus warning symbols, but the date is 1998 and not 1997.
On the front they use the word 'Collectibles' and not 'Collectables'.
If anybody can provide any further information on the above item it would be appreciated.
I hope I have not made any errors or assumptions on the above, If I have please let me know and I will correct this post. -{
I was reading the classified ads in the mag and saw an advert for a dubonnet red DB5, 5 speed manual with 59k on the clock and had been restored 6 years previous at a price of...........£28,500
Do you still have your Aston parts?
Yup - gathering dust until I do something with them! excuse the gaffer tape
Turn it into a sofa
Regarding the “Mystery Set” I think that Nick is right. It seems that these are early designs for what would eventually become the Definitive Collection! And also leading to the artwork for the 1999 DB5 04303 with the placement of the large 007 logo and smaller James Bond below the gun.
Very rare to see something like this; one for the 94060 DB5 is shown in the GF DVD extras.
Never noticed before that Corgi already used the newer gun logo on the Goldeneye box but reverted to the outdated logo for the 1997 (the TND poster artwork uses the newer logo) and 1999 releases, and even the Definitive Collection. Just saw that the two Woolworths 3-car sets have the old logo too, while the 4-car film canister set has the newer logo. Did Eon notice and complain?
The pen and holder look exactly like those on the promo made for the “James Bond Junior Taveners Launch 1995” (whatever that was?) although the plinth size is slightly different. Not sure if this was made by Corgi or just used their model. (Vectis photo)
Maybe the plinth with pen and DB5 was an original Aston Martin item that could be found in mid-90's Aston Martin accessories catalogues? It does look a bit cheap for a genuine Aston Martin item but then I have seen more embarrassing items from other luxury car makers.
Can anyone shed any light on how we tell the difference and do not get conned.
I think that the bases are different but not sure.
Any help appreciated.
In order to give an accurate guide I have included the Corgi 96445 30th version in the attached pictures as this look similar to the ingot version and could be confused with one.
As you can see the cc04307 was a re-tooled version with black interior and rubber wheels.
The ingot and 96445 versions at a glance appear identical from the top, except on closer inspection the plating to the body, base, bumper and grille on the ingot version is far superior.
It is the base that highlights the differences.
Note: there are some ingot versions that do not have the number plates front and back and are attached by black screws rather than chrome.
Hope this helps -{ AA
Thanks ACACIA very helpful.
And I am presuming that the Comet Miniatures and Corgi over-runs in the white boxes will all be identical to the middle version.
It is always easier to get answers to these questions when you speak with somebody that has them to compare!
Your photographs should help everyone that has an interest and should avoid any confusion, thank you.
Then in March I won a Golden Opportunity ingot for around £300 ($312.52 + $93.27 import charges of the Global Shipping Program robbery) which I thought was okay for one of the original 99 with the certificate – but without the outer box and no paperwork. Although I wouldn't have bid for an incomplete one if it wasn't for the very nice number 077 – it is almost 007, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMES-BOND-DB5-CORGI-RARE-GOLD-PLATED-IN-GOLD-BRICK-BOX-/201310309863
A few weeks later I got an email from the seller that he had found a box and some papers that belonged to the car and asked for my address as he only had the one from the ebay GSP. In the meantime I have received the box and paperwork, and the seller wouldn't even let me pay the additional postage.
Condition is not perfect (the outer box has seen better times and the folder is a bit bent as it was stored inside the box) but I am very happy with my new acquisition (and also the one I already had without the Golden Opportunity embossing).
I have now compiled a list of ingot sales known to me and other information from the article in the Collectors Gazette March issue. I hope we can expand the list with additional information of other ingots which may be in collections (no need to disclose the purchase price, of course) or auctions that are not yet listed.
List moved to last page.
That's an interesting list you have compiled, glad to see the A_A collection get a mention -{
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/James-Bond-Corgi-18ct-Gold-Plated-Aston-Martin-DB5-Ltd-Gold-Ingot-Box-/252055527296?hash=item3aafae1f80
It looks to me that this ingot does not have the front flap which would make it another transition version between 1b and 2. Or maybe it's just the pictures, or the flap has been cut off earlier?
Rainier has this in his records as an unsold lot (#375) from Aston's Auctioneers in March of this year. He does not note, however, that it sold the following month when relisted as Lot 598 by the same seller.
Comments:
1) There are both white A4 size documents as well as tan pebble-finish copies. The "agent" on the white is blank while "108" is imprinted on the tan.
2) The certificate is present but not attached and no edition number is given.
3) The plain white outer box was not mentioned or shown in the listing but is present.
Per the description (as Rainier noted):
"This item was a gift to the vendor from John Gilbert of Corgi for his involvement in producing the initial mock-ups of the gold bar box." This would presumably put it outside the official edition of 99.
I don't usually talk costs but I know Rainier is cataloguing these so I'll state that it sold for £800, well below the auction house estimate. I believe I was the only bidder.
One thing I'm not clear on is how the edition number relates to the "agent" (that's assuming they relate at all).
I was aware that the Aston's ingot was relisted and sold but I was a bit lazy with updating the list. I have also just added the relisted ebay ingot that didn't sell for £500 before - the seller lowered the price significantly and the relisted ingot sold for £499.99.
The Vectis ingot was a new one for me - no. 029/099 I have not seen before elsewhere. So, about ten of the original 99 are accounted for. I wonder how many of those have survived in collections. As they were given to CEO's and marketing executives of large companies and not available to collectors, my guess is that many of those ingots were thrown away and only the gold model retained, if at all.
And I think all numbered sheets above 099 were produced before the final run, to check ink saturation and position of the numbering device. Those usually count down so that a completed stack has the number 1 on the top. So my guess is the printers started at 120 or 110 and then continued printing to 001.
1a. 'Golden Opportunity' embossed ingots with certificate (99 examples with numbered certificate on front flap, plain white outer box with pencilled edition number, 'Top Secret' folder containing two sheets with matching number)
• 004/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171528127603), autumn–winter 2014
not sold for £330 (reserve not met)/BIN £1,200
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
ex Corgi director (001–004 presented to directors of Corgi Classics Ltd. – info from Collectors Gazette article, March 2016 issue)
• 007/099
sold for £...?
presented by Corgi to Pierce Brosnan, later auctioned off for charity (info from Collectors Gazette article)
• 019/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181929340545), 18 November 2015
sold for £377.07
with certificate and outer box, with reproduction 'Top Secret' folder and original letters
• 024/099
SAS Special Auction Services (lot 208), 9 July 2014
sold for £...?
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters (?)
• 027/99
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253967063800), 6 November 2018
sold for £1,000
creased ingot, with certificate, no outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
• 029/099
Vectis (lot 680), 11 June 2003
sold for £1,200, relisted 2016 (lot 1467)
• 029/099
Vectis (lot 1467), 18 May 2016
sold for £460
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 033/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272451770735), 23 November 2016
not sold for £1,500
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
relisted 2017
• 033/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272977094556), 17 December 2017
not sold for £500
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
relisted 2018
• 033/099
ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273005883383), 8 January 2018
not sold for £350
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 065/099
ebay UK, ... December 2013
sold for £...?
with certificate, no outer box, with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 069/099
presented to Corgi Premiums Dept. Marketing Executive Hazel Rippin (info from Collectors Gazette article)
• 077/099
ebay US (https://www.ebay.com/itm/201310309863), 25 March 2015
sold for $312.52 (+ $93.27 GSP)
RW collection
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters (found later, not present while listed)
• 090/099
Vectis (lot 4559), 24 September 2014
sold for £360
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
• 094/099
Aston's Auctioneers (lot 559), 12 June 2014
sold for £1,300
ex Corgi Design Manager John Gilbert, with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters, mint
• 096/099
Vectis (lot 1345), 7 May 2003
sold for £1,100
with certificate and outer box, no 'Top Secret' folder or letters
• 098/099
Vectis (lot 511), 5 October 2004
not sold, relisted (lot 1952)
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 098/099
Vectis (lot 1952), 12 April 2005
sold for £360
with certificate and outer box, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters
• 099/099
Aston's Auctioneers (lot 561), 12 June 2014
sold for £1,800
ex John Gilbert, with certificate and outer box, in unopened tissue paper, complete with 'Top Secret' folder and letters, mint
• 0...?/099
presented to Corgi Classics Marketing Director Lisa Thompson (info from Collectors Gazette article)
1b. Spare 'Golden Opportunity' embossed ingots (with front flap but no numbered certificate or 'Top Secret' folder)
• ebay UK
with Corgi Classics Ltd. letter, dated 10 October 2001
• Vectis (lot 1366), 6 April 2004
sold for £900
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 258), 5 July 2005
sold for £460
with outer box and leaflets
• Vectis (lot 146), 9 August 2005
sold for £1,000
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 1348), 6 September 2005
sold for £280
with outer box and leaflets
• Vectis (lot 1771), 11 December 2006
sold for £520
with outer box and copied leaflet
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 562), 12 June 2014
sold for £700
ex John Gilbert, with pre-production design visuals, white ingot mock-up, paperwork, three unnumbered certificates, thirteen 'Top Secret' folders, unnumbered letters
relisted 2018 (401551042739)
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 683), 7 August 2014
sold for £750
ex Corgi employee, with outer box, no letter
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252055527296), 20 August 2015
not sold for £129, relisted (252063068122)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252063068122), 27 August 2015
sold for £155
creased ingot, without front flap, no outer box, no letter
probably relisted 2018 (142836468642)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141873874314), 9 February 2016
not sold for BIN/best offer £995
with unnumbered certificate, partly ripped front flap, with outer box, no letter
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121901765562), 28 February 2016
not sold for £500, relisted (121956351602)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121956351602), 24 April 2016
sold for £499.99
with outer box, no letter
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 375), 3 March 2016
not sold for £800, relisted (lot 598)
• Aston's Auctioneers (lot 598), 7 April 2016
sold for £800
ex Print4 employee (printers in Nottingham who produced the ingots, present from John Gilbert), with outer box and unnumbered certificate, 'Top Secret' folder, unnumbered letters on white paper and pre-production letters on brown paper (one sheet numbered 108)
• QDT Quality Diecast Toys UK (https://www.qualitydiecasttoys.com/products/24342-CORGI-CLASSIC-JAMES-BOND), 2017
sold for £795
with outer box and leaflets
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332197652419), 6 May 2017
sold for £187
creased ingot, with outer box, unnumbered letters
relisted 2018 without letters (202292796068)
• Martel Maides Guernsey (lot 1050), 30 November 2017
not sold for £420
with outer box, unnumbered certificate and "early draft of Top Secret Classified Information. Highly Confidential paperwork addressed to Peter Nash, stating that this model is a prototype"
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202292796068), 26 April 2018
sold for £143.05
creased ingot, with outer box, no letters
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401551042739), 18 June 2018
not sold for $1,000
ex John Gilbert, with pre-production design visuals, white ingot mock-up, paperwork, unnumbered certificates, 'Top Secret' folders, unnumbered letters
relisted 2019 (401685859066)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142836468642), 27 June 2018
sold for £157
creased ingot, without front flap, no outer box, no letter
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401685859066), 23 January 2019
not sold for £750
ex John Gilbert, with pre-production design visuals, white ingot mock-up, paperwork, unnumbered certificates, 'Top Secret' folders, unnumbered letters
• A_A collection
with outer box
2. Embossed ingots (only embossed logos on top, without 'Golden Opportunity' and no front flap/certificate)
• dailo007 collection
• RW collection
with outer box and 'M.' letter
3a. Comet Miniatures ingots (without embossing, black logo decals on the top)
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192028816849), 18 November 2016
sold for £400
no outer box, numbered Comet certificate 004/045
• Vectis (lot 1057), 7 December 2010
sold for £900
no outer box (?), numbered Comet certificate 020/045, signed by Shirley Eaton and Honor Blackman
• Vectis (lot 1058), 7 December 2010
sold for £620
no outer box (?), numbered Comet certificate 022/045
• Vectis (lot 3128), 20 February 2014
sold for £1,100
with outer box and unnumbered certificate with Corgi Classics Sales & Marketing Director Colin Summerbell signature, no numbered Comet certificate
3b. Comet Miniatures ingots (without embossing, black logos printed on gold cardboard)
• Martel Maides Guernsey (lot 1049), 30 November 2017
sold for £520
with outer box and unnumbered certificate with Corgi Classics Sales & Marketing Director Colin Summerbell signature, numbered Comet certificate 027/045
• ebay US (https://www.ebay.com/itm/332114066570), summer 2016–19 May 2017
not sold for $1,500/$1,250/$1,199.99/$899.99
with outer box, numbered Comet certificate 031/045
• Vectis (lot 3008), 13 December 2012
sold for £1,000
with outer box, numbered Comet certificate 037/045
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111680200261), spring–autumn 2015
not sold for £1,000
not sold for BIN/best offer £1,350
with outer box, numbered Comet certificate 039/045
4. Ingots without embossing (Comet overrun ingots?) with gold-plated Director's Cut DB5 (probably fake version using 40th anniversary model CC04307)
• Vectis (lot 1107), 15 August 2006
sold for £540
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 1367), 11 September 2006
not sold, relisted (lot 2551)
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 2551), 6 November 2006
sold for £240
with outer box
• Vectis (lot 1771), 12 February 2007
sold for £320
with outer box
• ebay UK (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142406257116), 12 June 2017
not sold for £500
with outer box
I have found an earlier sale of the same ingot 029/099. In 2003 this was sold by Vectis for £1,200, and the listing didn’t even show or mention the folder. Now the same ingot fetched only £460 despite being complete ...
On November 16, two ingots were listed on ebay, and with one available since months there were three different versions for sale at the same time. One was Golden Opportunity 033/099 which had a minimum of £1,500 and has ended without a bid.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272451770735
The second ingot was one of the 45 from Comet Miniatures, no. 004. After the seller had reduced the buy-it-now price in steps from £1,500 to £400 I went for it.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192028816849
The third, currently still available is another Comet ingot, no. 031 for BIN $1,500. This is different from my Comet ingot as it doesn’t have the decals on top but instead has the logos printed on gold card and glued to the ingot.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/332037893078
The seller’s description is taken directly from Donk’s answers on page 1 of this thread:
“The Comet Miniatures ingot is one of three different Corgi Golden Opportunity Ingots produced. The Comet Miniatures version is the most limited, with only 45 pieces produced (the other two versions had different ingot’s and were produced in lots of 99 and 199 pieces).
The Comet Iingot itself is constructed of a more robust card stock which was wrapped in gold foil. The hallmarks on top were individual decals of Corgi/Bond on the left and 0/2 on the right. The Comet ingot has a fold down flap, which covered the DB5 until the ingot was fully open.”
But - his ingot does not have the individual decals or a fold-down flap ... 8-)
So I have now taken a closer look at the various Comet ingots, and it seems that the first 25 or maybe 30 examples (after 022 and before 031) were different from the later numbers. The early ingots (004, 020, 022) have the individual decals, have the fold-down flap and are wrapped in wrinkly gold foil which gives a sateen sheen instead of the mirror-like gold finish of the later Comet ingots (031, 037, 039) and the Golden Opportunity versions.
Only these early Comet ingots are differently constructed, and the car is turned more to the side so that there is no triangular cutout for the left front wheel. This cutout is present on all other ingot variants, so I assume that leftover ingots from the batch without embossing were used for the later Comet ingots with the logos printed on gold paper. Maybe Comet initially only wanted to issue 25 ingots and decided later to expand the run to 45 after receiving some leftover ingots from Corgi? Also, only the later batch of Comet ingots contain cars with 007 number plates (like the 200 "over-run" DB5s available from the Corgi Collector Club) - the earlier Comet and Golden Opportunity cars do not have these stickers.
I've just discovered another Corgi 'Gold Ingot' model that collectors might be interested in. It is the winner’s prize from the British Airways 'Licensed to thrill’ promotion 2003, featured in their in-flight 'Shopping the World' duty-free brochure.
The item is presently being sold at auction. See Vectis Specialist Diecast Auction - Wednesday 8 May 2024, Lot 20 or use this link: https://www.vectis.co.uk/d042-lot-992021-corgi-toys-james-bond-aston-martin-1/36th-scale-gold-plated-issue?el=992021&pn=1&pp=25&referer=search
After studying the photographs this item is not one of the original Corgi 'Gold Ingot' promotion models as it isn’t numbered and the ingot doesn’t have the C.O.A fold-down flap or the the wording 'golden opportunity' embossed on the side.