Bond's "First" PPK on the Block (Page 1 of 4)

ppw3o6r wrote:

Why thank you for asking PMJB,
It's complete and utter B*LLOX!

Would you be reaching out to Humbert Ellis? Somebody had ought to!

Why thank you for asking PMJB,
It's complete and utter B*LLOX!
Back in 2006 I advised on The Guns of James Bond auction at Christies. A PPK Kurz had been submitted as Sean's pistol from Dr.No and everyone and his dog was pretty happy with it. I had to prove to the specialists that despite what the armourer said on screen the pistol was in fact a PP and not a PPK. This actually meant freeze framing every time Bond's pistol appeared on screen, in his hand, by his bed, in the sand and in his pocket. I then had to do the same with every publicity image. It took bloody ages!

Now to the scene in question where this piece of BS is claimed to be used. There are two instances where it is clear you are looking at a PP and not a PPK. When the armourer first takes the pistol from its case you can see the longer muzzle and when you know what you are looking at the two piece PP grips which do not join up at the rear of the magazine well as found on a PPK however the real give away is just before Sean holsters the pistol as the profile against his shirt is of a long muzzle slide with a deeper magazine well/grip. We also had a stunt PP submitted which had a cast finger spur magazine baseplate so I had to prove that at no time did a PP appear other than with a flat base to the magazine so I am confident I can say 100% as a consultant the PPK submitted for auction is complete and utter B*LLOX! 

Chriscoop wrote:

I knew it was a pp later in the film, its quite obvious in some scenes, but I always thought I knew it was a ppk handed to bond in m's office!

Seriously.  You’re admitting to Higgins knowing something that you didn’t      I’d delete this post if I were you 

Way before Donk and I became friends, I’d also done the same thing on all the Bond films trying to find evidence of a Zella PPK being used at any time during series.  This came about through Stembridge offering them as screen used and somebody in the UK doing the same thing after the VHS series was released with photoshopped covers showing a Zella in the (not) hands of Connery and Moore.   During this research, I have never, ever seen a publicity still, frame or outtake from Dr No that shows a PPK being used.  That’s because it wasn’t.  Donk has access to armourers and log books from that period.  If it’s a definitive NO from him, then that’s the end of it.   

There are many anecdotes from cast and crew that dealt with the guns of Bond from that period.  I’m sure if this story was true, it would have been high up on the list of conversation points.  Yet this is the first we’ve heard if it.  I’d like to see close up of the proof marks as it looks like it’s been deactivated twice. From that, it would be possible to piece together the genuine history of the piece to some extent.

Update: the BBC have now been contacted regarding their article with a PDF of the correspondence sent to Humbert & Ellis  Donk

Amazing (well: shocking) how auction houses fail to properly authenticate this kind of item; especially with this kind of money involved...

Thank you Ray. I always hoped there would be a copy of TMFGITW on the shelf of most major auction houses so this type of "flexibility of the truth" did not occur again. There are too many examples of PPK pistols in particular appearing at major auctions claiming to be the one used by a particular actor where in reality the engraving on the pistol was not utilised by the factory until long after the actor in questions tenure as 007 had come to an end or the shape of a pistol being pre-Bond. I certainly didn't expect the old PPK/Dr.No debate to kick off again! I will update once the auction house replies. With few exceptions they usually don't!

Incidentally, there will be a The Most Famous Gun In The World 2 published to coincide with the release of and to include B25, the content of which blows Famous Gun 1 out of the water! ....You read it here first! 

I figured the more people that call this auction out, the better chances of the situation getting resolved. I to send an email to the Auction house and received this reply.

Assuming that the seller isn’t intentionally trying to commit an act of fraud, I can’t help but feel a little bad for them. In the Bernard Lee letter is the one referred to as “your boy.” Imagine growing up thinking your entire life you own James Bond’s PPK, only to have that belief utterly destroyed by a group of diehard fans.

Asp9mm wrote:

Chriscoop wrote:

I knew it was a pp later in the film, its quite obvious in some scenes, but I always thought I knew it was a ppk handed to bond in m's office!

Seriously.  You’re admitting to Higgins knowing something that you didn’t      I’d delete this post if I were you 

Way before Donk and I became friends, I’d also done the same thing on all the Bond films trying to find evidence of a Zella PPK being used at any time during series.  This came about through Stembridge offering them as screen used and somebody in the UK doing the same thing after the VHS series was released with photoshopped covers showing a Zella in the (not) hands of Connery and Moore.   During this research, I have never, ever seen a publicity still, frame or outtake from Dr No that shows a PPK being used.  That’s because it wasn’t.  Donk has access to armourers and log books from that period.  If it’s a definitive NO from him, then that’s the end of it.   

There are many anecdotes from cast and crew that dealt with the guns of Bond from that period.  I’m sure if this story was true, it would have been high up on the list of conversation points.  Yet this is the first we’ve heard if it.  I’d like to see close up of the proof marks as it looks like it’s been deactivated twice. From that, it would be possible to piece together the genuine history of the piece to some extent.

I actually was in contact with the NRA museum about the Dalton PPK in their collection. Apparently it is no longer there and they have no way of tracking its whereabouts.

As far as the auction PPK, The serial number matches the date code on the chamber and it was manufactured in 1961, a year before filming started on the Dr.No. It is of the correct time period, but  as we’ve already established was never in the film. Is there a chance that the scene was filmed with Mr. Lee’s PPK, and when it was deemed inappropriate, those shots ended up on the cutting room floor in the scene using the PP was used?