The top 10 James Bond collectibles

The centenary of Ian Fleming's birth is a busy year for James Bond fans, with the launch of the Imperial War Museum's For Your Eyes Only exhibition, the publication of Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks, and the release of Quantum of Solace.

To celebrate all this, Times Money has put together a list of the best James Bond collectibles – a mix of one-offs for big spenders and mass-produced items affordable for those on more modest budgets. Each should make a decent long-term investment if kept pristine.

1. Aston Martin DB5
The most iconic of Bond Cars, this Q-adapted 1963 Aston Martin DB5 served as 007’s ride in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965) and features retractable machine guns, tyre-shredders, an ejectable passenger seat and rear oil and smoke dispensers, among assorted extras. The vehicle used in filming was stolen from its owner in 1997 and remains missing. However, one of two cars customised for 1960s promotional tours sold for £1.17 million at auction in 2006

2. Corgi DB5 261
Collectors unable to purchase a "real" Bond DB5 can turn to Corgi’s first die-cast version, millions of which were sold in the mid-1960s. Thousands of these crop up for sale each year, most in well-loved (i.e. shabby) condition. The car is gold-painted, rather than silver as in the films, and has a working ejector seat – complete with plastic villain – plus pop-out machine guns and rear windscreen shield. Mint and boxed examples are much-coveted and fetch upwards of £300

3. First edition of Casino Royale
It is easy to forget that Bond was a literary creation. First editions of Ian Fleming's first 007 novel, Casino Royale, published by Jonathan Cape in 1953, are easy to find – Abebooks.com lists several – but fetch £1,500-plus in good condition, and much more signed. Characteristic quote: "'A dry martini,' Bond said. 'In a deep champagne goblet. Three measures of Gordons, one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice cold, then add a thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?'"

4. From Russia with Love poster
The early Bond films were promoted with super-sexy artwork. British 30" by 40" (quad) posters from the 1960s are rarer than their American equivalents and sometimes of better quality. The "Bond is Back!" example for From Russia with Love (1964) has all the elements a fan could want – the Commander in black tie with gun; the gorgeous girl, Daniela Bianchi; exotic location, Istanbul; plus a belly dancer and gypsy catfight. A good example recently sold for $5,676 (about £3,000)

5. Walther PPK
The Walther PPK, or Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell – developed for use by police in Nazi Germany and used by Adolf Hitler to commit suicide – is Bond's weapon of choice in the films from Dr No (1962) to Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Fleming introduced the gun after a reader wrote to him to say that the Beretta 418 Bond used in earlier novels was "a lady's gun" with limited stopping power. The example used in Dr No sold for £54,000 at auction in 2006

6. Honey Ryder's bikini from Dr No
A bikini-clad Honey Ryder, played by Swiss sex symbol Ursula Andress, emerges from the sea, dripping, clasping two conch shells and singing Under the Mango Tree in probably the best-loved Bond girl scene ever in Dr No (1962). When 007, who is watching from behind a palm tree joins in her singing, she is startled, asking: "What are you doing here? Looking for shells?" He responds: "No, I'm just looking." The white cotton bikini used sold for £35,000 at auction in 2001

7. Attache case
Bond's customised attache case in From Russia with Love (1964) has to be one of his finest gadgets ever, concealing a folding sniper's rifle, 20 rounds of ammunition, an exploding tear gas cartridge, 50 gold sovereigns and a throwing knife. Several toy versions were produced, arguably the best of which is the 1965 James Bond Attache Case from Multiple Products. Contents include a Luger-style pistol which can be converted into a sniper rifle. This example fetched $1,025 (about £560) in 2005

8. Underwater Battle game
The spectacular underwater show-down between 007 and Largo in Thunderball (1965) – sometimes considered the first "epic" Bond film – set new standards for marine cinematography. The scene is also the setting for one of the most sought-after James Bond board games, Triang's Underwater Battle of 1965. The box is a work of art in itself, while the numerous diver figures invite creative play beyond the rulebook. The complete game goes for £250-plus

9. Moonraker space gun
Purists might prefer the Walther PPK (above), but Bond's futuristic laser pistol from Moonraker (1979) – released two years after Star Wars – will appeal to fans with sci-fi tastes. The weapon also features as the "Moonraker laser" in the highly successful Nintendo 64 game Goldeneye. A die-cast version by Lone Star, contemporary with the film, is considered one of the best quality Bond gun toys and sells for an affordable £120-plus with box

10. Oddjob’s hat
Korean-born Oddjob, played by Harold Sakata in Goldfinger (1964), is among fans' most beloved Bond "baddies". Auric Goldfinger's manservant and henchman is immensely strong, capable of crushing a golf ball in one hand. His one weapon is a bowler hat with concealed steel flying disc in the rim. He uses this to despatch Bond's love interest Tilly Masterson but is killed when 007 uses a severed cable to elecrify a metal bar into which the blade has become lodged. The hat sold for £62,000 at auction in 1998

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Comments

[Jess]

Bond is a sexist throwback to a very nasty era. I am disappointed that the Times publishes this smut. Time for peoole to grow up, I think!

[IAN PAYNE]

I have three first edition Bond books - thats enough for me.

[Robin]

Walther PPK-"was introduced after a reader wrote to Fleming"...the reader was a Major Boothroyd who was a real life weapons specialist (my mother knew him), who Fleming then featured in the film when M introduced him to Bond and told him his Beretta was not up to up. He was far from a random reader!

[Matthew Christian Wayne]

As for #10, in the novel her name was Tilly Masterton, and in the movie it was changed to Tilly Masterson. Never was it Masterman.

[Lawrence P Beron]

Ahem, Re #10: Tilly MasterSON, not Tilly Masterman.

Carry on then, there's a good man.

[jgr]

You should have chosen 007 not 10 collectables...