No, Mr Bond, we expect them to buy: Fierce bidding for old cinema cards

Rare promotional cards that gave cinema-goers their first glimpse of screen idol Sir Sean Connery as James Bond are expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

The 8×10 inch lobby cards were displayed in cinemas in the 1960s to advertise the films and introduce the world’s most famous literary spy to fans of the silver screen.

They feature classic sequences from Dr No – the movie that launched Edinburgh-born Connery to stardom in 1962 – and the icon’s later Bond films including From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice.

The sets, which have been put together by one private UK collector, will go under the hammer at Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia sale in London on Tuesday more than 50 years after they appeared in cinemas, along with many classic 007 movie posters and are expected to attract bids from Bond fans all over the world.

Katherine Schofield, Bonhams’ head of entertainment memorabilia, said: “Only a limited amount of front house stills were produced and when the film finished screening, they would be just thrown out. Some did survive, possibly kept as souvenirs by people who worked in the cinemas.

“More than 50 years on we are very lucky that the ones we are offering are all in very good condition. Hopefully they will find another treasured home.”

The big game

The cards feature stills from movies including the 007 adventure Goldfinger featuring one of the most famous fictional golf games when Bond outwits the cheating master criminal Auric Goldfinger to win the match and the bullion thief’s attention.

Practising for those scenes gave actor Sean Connery the golf bug as he explained in his book Being A Scot: “I began to take lessons on a course near the Pinewood film studios, and was immediately hooked on the game.

“Soon it would nearly take over my life.”