Gilbert/Sears James Bond suited box action figure ...Genuine or Fake?
ppw3o6r
Great BritainPosts: 2,280MI6 Agent
I know of at least 5 examples of the illusive Holy Grail Gilbert/Sears action figure in the pictorial suited box but some high end die hard Bond collectors in the US whose opinion this Donkey respects believe that the illustrated box version does not actually exist? The doll was available in a plain mailer box from The Sears Christmas Wish Book but was it ever available in the illusive illustrated box? or to be precise was the box created at the time of the original doll in 1965? There is currently a known example available in the US but the die hard US collectors won't touch it. It is also incredibly expensive.
I'd welcome feedback from collectors especially those who had access to this item back in the days of Classic Bondmania because if this illustrated box version is genuine? then Donkey desperately wants it & has wanted since it first appeared in Dave Worrall's The Essential Bond back in 1997? and even Mr Worrall was unsure of its authenticity! I'll also pay big Bucks for it but I need to be sure. One sold on eBay a couple of years ago for £1300. I consider this to be a reasonable amount for such a rare item but at the time most thought it was a reproduction? Personally I would expect a £5k price tag for a genuine example -{
As featured in The Essential Bond by Dave Worrall
Clearly the incorrect suit & the instructions appear too fresh to be original but the owner is adamant that the box is original & indeed it does share certain traits with the known examples which the reproduction boxes do not have.
As a footnote I have contacted Jordan at Hollywood Heroes in the US five times in the last two years offering $5k for a clean original example. He makes his living tracking down rare collectible toys. To this day he has never replied. Perhaps that tells you something? Perhaps he knows something we as collectors do not?
I'd welcome feedback from collectors especially those who had access to this item back in the days of Classic Bondmania because if this illustrated box version is genuine? then Donkey desperately wants it & has wanted since it first appeared in Dave Worrall's The Essential Bond back in 1997? and even Mr Worrall was unsure of its authenticity! I'll also pay big Bucks for it but I need to be sure. One sold on eBay a couple of years ago for £1300. I consider this to be a reasonable amount for such a rare item but at the time most thought it was a reproduction? Personally I would expect a £5k price tag for a genuine example -{
As featured in The Essential Bond by Dave Worrall
Clearly the incorrect suit & the instructions appear too fresh to be original but the owner is adamant that the box is original & indeed it does share certain traits with the known examples which the reproduction boxes do not have.
As a footnote I have contacted Jordan at Hollywood Heroes in the US five times in the last two years offering $5k for a clean original example. He makes his living tracking down rare collectible toys. To this day he has never replied. Perhaps that tells you something? Perhaps he knows something we as collectors do not?