Ian Fleming's Cigarette Holder

Hi

I had a though this morning... does anyone know what happened to Ian Fleming's cigarette holder?

It was something that he's using in most of the photo's I've seen of him and as such I think it's quite an iconic item.

I asked Ian's niece Lucy via Twitter and unfortunately she doesn't know of it's whereabouts.

Just wondered if the good people of AJB might be able to shed some light on this mystery.

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PS:

Didn't realise that I've just found a new country -- IRAN Fleming
"NEVER SAY NO TO ADVENTURES." Ian Fleming

Comments

  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,848MI6 Agent
    No idea either but it sure would be great to find it a la Kerim Bey's personal possessions (including his yellow cigarette holder) after he is murdered on the Orient Express in FRWL. :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    If you find a matching one...
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  • InternationalExportsInternationalExports Posts: 269MI6 Agent
    Are you talking about the 1907 Faberge cigarette case? his own case he owned, he wrote about it in From Russia With Love to in lines 13-15, on page one. I believe it had been a gift from Mary Millicent Rogers a former girlfriend. Would be amazing if the actual case turned up. Due to the unfrotunate young death of Felmings troubled son who knows where most of his posessions ended up after Ann's death in 1981. My best guess Fleming left it to his brother Peter before his death in 1971 and its been passed down by his family (His widow Celia and his three children) they lived in Glencoe in Scotland and its probably still here. Hope this helps.
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    I'm thinking more of the cigarette holder/filter myself.
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  • Arbogast 777Arbogast 777 Minneapolis Posts: 595MI6 Agent
    _M wrote:

    Somebody better tell him Fleming was never knighted 8-)
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    From Southend, no less.
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  • _M_M From Anaheim-Lives Aberdeen UKPosts: 45MI6 Agent
    Yep the things people try and pass off now days lol.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    This makes me doubt my Genuine Elizabethan dvd player. :# ;)
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Gebruder GumboldGebruder Gumbold San FranciscoPosts: 549MI6 Agent
    Interesting thread.
    Is there a look alike, or replica of Fleming's cig holder that can be found?
    What about Marc Ange Draco's?
    We're not smokers here in Ca, however, I always thought it would be cool to use one of those electronic jobs on a holder. You get the cool factor of a holder w/o the uncool cancer...
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    I may have a lead on the make and model of Fleming's. M's from Dr. No would be lovely as would Blofeld's from DAF--I found a similar one to DAF so far...
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  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,320MI6 Agent
    I now doubt the authenticity of my white pussycat
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  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    Some fans have Piz Gloria ashtrays still, and may want to trade...
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  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    Are you talking about the 1907 Faberge cigarette case? his own case he owned, he wrote about it in From Russia With Love to in lines 13-15, on page one. I believe it had been a gift from Mary Millicent Rogers a former girlfriend. Would be amazing if the actual case turned up. Due to the unfrotunate young death of Felmings troubled son who knows where most of his posessions ended up after Ann's death in 1981. My best guess Fleming left it to his brother Peter before his death in 1971 and its been passed down by his family (His widow Celia and his three children) they lived in Glencoe in Scotland and its probably still here. Hope this helps.

    As one of the extremely curious over Bond's "real" cigarette case, thank you for the info; the name Mary Millicent Rogers is a good lead for further research! According to Andrew Lycett's Fleming bio in p. 89, it was a girlfriend named Maud Russell who gave fleming his gunmetal finished, gold cigarette case, though IMO these bits of information are never definitive. Also, I think Caspar died before his mother by many years...sad.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    Mary Jane Russell is the Bond girl of the short story For Your Eyes Only. She works for MI6... has a penchant for milk chocolate.
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  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    Mary Jane Russell is the Bond girl of the short story For Your Eyes Only. She works for MI6... has a penchant for milk chocolate.

    Actually, it's Mary Ann Russell, Bond's contact in Paris in FAVTAK, that's in the FYEO collection of short stories.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    superado wrote:
    Mary Jane Russell is the Bond girl of the short story For Your Eyes Only. She works for MI6... has a penchant for milk chocolate.

    Actually, it's Mary Ann Russell, Bond's contact in Paris in FAVTAK, that's in the FYEO collection of short stories.

    Sorry the trauma of writing my book obscured my own memory! :))

    From a View to a Kill - James Bond fantasizes a dinner before investigating a dispatcher’s death.

    "Bond meets agent Mary Ann Russell of
    MI6. He borrows her Peugeot then thinks
    of her, seeing her half-eaten milk chocolate
    in her car."
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  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    Googled Millicent Rogers and found a Christies auction listing of her gunmetal Fabrege cigarette case that her family claimed to be the inspiration for Bond's case. Sorry, I'm not at home and don't have the link. I wasn't too impressed with how it looked and wonder about the backstory of the Bond connection.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    She was one of Fleming's lovers, wasn't she? She might have indeed gifted him the case but Fleming's style was above it...
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  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    She was one of Fleming's lovers, wasn't she? She might have indeed gifted him the case but Fleming's style was above it...

    Found the link for A Fabergé Gold-Mounted Gunmetal Cigarette Case, circa 1900: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.54.lotnum.html/2013/russian-works-of-art-and-silver-n08981

    Looking at her cigarette case, I could see how Fleming was possibly inspired by it's appearance, but I wonder if the dimensions and funtionality suited the fictional cigarette case, since it's supposed to be wide and slim and able to hold 50 cigarettes. I'm inclined to think that the family made the theoretical leap because of the case being gunmetal in color and the fact that their mother was acquainted with Fleming. I'm still interested to know about Fleming's own case, that was also gunmetal, which I would think suited his own consumption needs.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    Confirmation from The Real Story: James Bond

    The_Real_Story_James_Bond.jpg

    The white dot and gold rings are visible.
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  • AbsolutbargainAbsolutbargain Posts: 3MI6 Agent
    I'm thinking more of the cigarette holder/filter myself.

    I have one. It is an Asprey holder and apparently he had about ten of them. I purchased from Petronella Wyatt, daughter of Fleming's close friend Woodrow Wyatt. He had been staying with the family and left the holder with them by accident, later telling them that they could keep it.

    Not selling by the way, but just FYI!

    Incidentally trying to get some Morland cigs/box to match up with it if you hear of any!
  • The Domino EffectThe Domino Effect Posts: 3,638MI6 Agent
    I'm thinking more of the cigarette holder/filter myself.

    I have one. It is an Asprey holder and apparently he had about ten of them. I purchased from Petronella Wyatt, daughter of Fleming's close friend Woodrow Wyatt. He had been staying with the family and left the holder with them by accident, later telling them that they could keep it.

    Not selling by the way, but just FYI!

    Incidentally trying to get some Morland cigs/box to match up with it if you hear of any!

    What a fantastic item to own. I am very jealous. As regards the Morlands, someone on here was making superb replicas a short while ago. I'm afraid I can't remember their name off the top of my head, but if you do a search on here I am sure you can find him. Perhaps he'll be able to assist you.
  • Gadget MeisterGadget Meister Bicester, OxonPosts: 1,972MI6 Agent
    You need to get hold of SFPROPS, he did a run earlier this year and I have a set, it is marvellous and a true representation of the original. I played a small part in the research for this, managing to track down the original medals that the box design was based on. Now I know Kurt only did a small run, as it was a real pain in the ass to make along with the 3 gold band dummy cigarettes. You may be lucky.
  • Bond Collectors' WeekendsBond Collectors' Weekends Gainesville, Florida USAPosts: 1,902MI6 Agent
    Does anyone have a pic of the Asprey holder?
    Seven (007) James Bond Tours! Mission: Mexico!
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    I'm thinking more of the cigarette holder/filter myself.

    I have one. It is an Asprey holder and apparently he had about ten of them. I purchased from Petronella Wyatt, daughter of Fleming's close friend Woodrow Wyatt. He had been staying with the family and left the holder with them by accident, later telling them that they could keep it.

    Not selling by the way, but just FYI!

    Incidentally trying to get some Morland cigs/box to match up with it if you hear of any!

    Congrats! What better specimen of Fleming memorabilia is there than one with his DNA?
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
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