Two iconic pieces of movie memorabilia were auctioned Monday in Calabasas, Calif.: the knife carried by Sylvester Stallone’s movie character John Rambo in the movie “First Blood” and the gun used for the promotional pictures for Sean Connery’s James Bond movies.
The knife is described as: “SYLVESTER STALLONE ‘JOHN RAMBO’ HERO SCREEN-USED SURVIVAL KNIFE WITH SHEATH FROM FIRST BLOOD. (Anabasis N.V., 1982) This ‘John Rambo’ hero knife was used by Sylvester Stallone in the classic action thriller First Blood — the first film in the Rambo franchise. Crafted by legendary Arkansas knifesmith Jimmy Lile, the knife features a 9-inch D2 steel blade with 14 sawteeth (measures 13.88 in. overall length) and is one of six used in the production.”
After the hammer fell, the knife sold for $90,000, including all fees. It beat the auction estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
A new knife in the same style called the “Next Generation First Blood” by Jimmy Lile sells for $2,250.
James Bond’s Walther, used for promotional pictures in the movies “From Russia with Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball” and “You Only Live Twice,” was also sold.
Agent 007 carried a Walther PPK in .32 ACP, but since no one brought a pistol to the photo-shoot, another gun was substituted, according to the auction description.
“When Connery arrived at the photo studio, together with Tom Carlile and representatives from United Artists, it was discovered that no one had brought 007’s Walther semi-automatic pistol. By chance, photographer Hurn practiced air pistol target shooting as a hobby and he used a Walther. It was decided between Carlile and Hurn, without telling Connery or the other representatives from United Artists, that they would use his air pistol for the photographs and if anyone were to bring it up that the Walther name on the gun would reassure them.”
They had intended to air-brush out the long barrel so it would look more like Bond’s carry gun, but they failed to do so and the gun, as is, made it into the promotional photos.
The auctioned gun is a 4.5 mm, Walther air pistol, LP Model 53, serial number 054159. If you were to find a generic model today at auction, it would set you back about $120. The gun used in the movie promotions sold for $300,000, including all fees, meeting the high end of the auction estimate.
ProfilesInHistory.com handled the auction, which took place July 28 and 29.