Posts Tagged ‘james bond’
How well do you know 007? Take our James Bond quiz!
We’ve been inspired by the new Six Decades of Bond Films £5 series to see how much we really know about the nation’s favourite secret agent…
So, do you consider yourself a Bond buff? Or perhaps you’re a film fanatic with a penchant for spy films?
Take our quiz to test your knowledge!
Find out more about the Six Decades of Bond Films £5 series
Bond is Back! The Six Decades of 007 Coin Series…
Following the 60th Anniversary since Bond first appeared on the silver screen, The Royal Mint have launched a seven-coin series celebrating each decade of James Bond! The series kicked off in November 2023 with the Bond of the 60s £5, and since then we’ve seen every decade of 007 up to the 2010s celebrated on UK coins. The series now comes to a close with the Six Decades of Bond £5.
Six Decades of Bond £5
The seventh and final coin in the series celebrates all six decades of Bond, with a design including all the legendary vehicles that have featured on each coin in the series so far. From the trusty autogyro ‘Little Nellie’ to the dependable Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander plane, you’ll see some of the most recognisable crafts from Bond films over the years around the edge of the iconic gun barrel design.
The 2024 Six Decades of Bond £5 boasts a dynamic design by Matt Dent and Christian Davies, produced in partnership with EON Productions Ltd and Danjaq, making it the perfect piece of officially licensed memorabilia for fans of the James Bond franchise. And if you already have any of the previous Decades of Bond £5s, it’s a must have for your collection.
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Bond of the 10s
The sixth and penultimate coin in the series celebrates James Bond films of the 2010s leading into the 2020s, including the most recent film in the franchise – No Time to Die. This era saw the release of three incredible new 007 films, Daniel Craig breaking the record for the longest-serving Bond actor, and the first time in the franchise that 007 is thought to have died.
The reverse design of the Bond Films of the 10s £5, created by award-winning agency Bison Bison, features the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander plane from the iconic Austria chase scene in Spectre. The plane is set against the titles of Bond films of the 2010s and 2020s repeating in the background, all encircled by the ever-present gun barrel design.
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Bond of the 00s
The fifth coin in the series celebrates the Bond films of the 2000s and marks Daniel Craig’s debut as Bond in Casino Royale in 2006. Another two 007 films hit the big screens in the 2000s, including Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace. Can you spot these titles written on the new Bond £5?
But the star of the show on this action-packed coin is the iconic hovercraft from the opening sequence in Die Another Day.
Credit: Diecast
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Bond of the 90s
The fourth coin in the series bounces back to 1990s and marks Pierce Brosnan’s acting debut as Bond in GoldenEye in 1995. Another two 007 films hit the big screens in the 90s, including Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. Can you spot these titles written on the new Bond £5?
But the star of the show on this action-packed coin is none other than Q Branch’s speedboat from the iconic River Thames scene in The World Is Not Enough.
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Bond of the 80s
The third coin in the series transports us back to 1980, and honours two beloved Bond actors. Sir Roger Moore who continued to portray James Bond from the 70s through to 1985, and Timothy Dalton who put a more serious spin on the role and played the iconic agent from 1987 to 1989.
Depicted on the third coin is the MI6 agent in the Acrostar ‘Bede’ Jet that appeared in the opening sequence for Moore’s sixth 007 film, Octopussy. Repeating over in the background is each of the 80s Bond film titles, behind the BD-J5 Acrostar.
The 80s brought us some of the most well-known Bond movies, with the likes of For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and Licence to Kill. This decade was a real defining era for James Bond, I have to say, I think it represents Bond perfectly.
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Bond of the 70s
This second coin in the series depicts the iconic car-submarine, Wet Nellie from hit 70s film, The Spy Who Loved Me. And, like the first coin in the series, features and repeats each 1970s bond film titles behind the much-loved vehicle.
Throughout the 70s we saw a whole new era of Bond, with Sean Connery passing the iconic role on to Roger Moore, who is the oldest actor to have played Bond, making his debut as the secret agent at 45. Moore has undoubtably been in some of the most well-known bond movies, like Live and Let Die and Diamonds are Forever.
Secure the Bond of the 70s £5 for your collection in Brilliant Uncirculated quality here >>
Bond of the 60s
Sean Connery captivated our hearts as he became the first James Bond in 1962’s, Dr. No. To this day, he’s ranked by entertainment publication, Collider, as the most popular Bond, and to no surprise. Connery’s distinct, Scottish accent helped define some of Bond’s most memorable quotes.
The first coin in the series depicts Sean Connery in the trusty ‘autogyro’ (a one-person aircraft) named ‘Little Nellie’ from the much-loved, You Only Live Twice. With a subtle nod to Connery’s work as the special agent, each of his 007 film titles appear behind James Bond in Little Nellie.
The Beginning of Bond
70 years ago writer Ian Fleming first brought James Bond into the world, in the April of 1953 with his first 007 novel – Casino Royale. Paving the way for eleven more Bond novels to be made, and inspiring a whole franchise based on the famous spy himself.
Just under 10 years later, 007 took to the screen and the first James Bond movie was made, bringing the impressive agent ‘to life’ in 1962. And, it hasn’t stopped there, with the most recent Bond movie, No Time to Die, only coming out 2 years ago!
Credit: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Comet Photo AG (Zürich), via Wikimedia Commons
A History of Bond Coins
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Bond on our UK coins!
First appearing in 2018 on the ‘B’ for Bond coin as part of the A-Z of Great Britain 10p collection, 220,000 Bond 10ps were first issued in 2018, followed by 84,000 in 2019! This 10p has proved extremely popular with collectors and has been at the top of Change Checker Scarcity Index in recent rankings.
And, how could we forget that in 2020 we had the three-part 007 £5 coin series, in which each of the coins placed together, spell out ‘007’, alongside some of Bond’s most memorable quotes.
Collector’s Galore
Complete your Six Decades of Bond collection today with the final coin in the series for just £13.99 (+£2.99 p&p).
The Bond £5 Coins leaving collectors shaken and stirred!
Back in 1962, the very first James Bond film saw the iconic British spy brought to life on the big screen and now, as the 25th film is due to be released in 2021, The Royal Mint have issued a collection of brand new Bond themed £5 coins!
The third coin in the series has just been released today and is already creating a stir in the coin collecting world…
Shaken Not Stirred
The final coin in the series has now been released, completing the iconic 007 motif.
This new £5 release features a design of a James Bond’s iconic tuxedo silhouette and his signature weapon. It also features the inscription, ‘Shaken Not Stirred′, the special agent’s Martini preference.
This coin has been issued in a number of specifications, including Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £10.99 (+p&p).
You can also get your hands on the very first coin in the series here and the second coin here!
0 0 7
Designed as a collaboration between Christian Davies and Matt Dent, when all three coins are placed together, the famous ‘007’ motif is spelt out – completing this classic collection.
Dent commented on the design process, saying, “As Bond fans ourselves, we’ve enjoyed re-watching some of our favourite films. The design series focuses on iconic imagery from the Bond films. Finding the balance between design detail and what can be accomplished in production was a challenge, nowhere more so than the intricate spokes of the DB5’s wheel.”
The first coin, features the classic Bond car from Goldfinger – the Aston Martin DB5 and the world-famous phrase, “Bond, James Bond”. The second coin features a design of a legendary Bond car, the submarine Lotus Espirit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me, known as ‘Wet Nellie’. It also features the inscription, ‘Pay attention 007′, a classic line which was uttered by the world-famous ‘Q’.
The last coin in the series, which has been released today, concludes the series, spelling out the complete ‘007’ motif. The inscription on this coin reads the iconic James Bond line, ‘Shaken not stirred’ in reference to the spy’s preferred style of Martini.
The History of James Bond
The character ‘James Bond’ was first brought to life in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming who created twelve novels and two short-story collections featuring the British Secret Service agent.
However, it was in 1962 that Bond first appeared on the big screen.
From ‘Dr No’ to ‘No Time To Die’, the character has appeared in a remarkable 25 films, with endless gadgets and iconic imagery from the films now recognised world-wide.
During the film series’ 58 year history, the suave secret agent has been portrayed by six different actors, and I’m sure we all have our own favourite ‘Bond’.
Currently played by Daniel Craig, the upcoming film will represent his fifth and final time starring as the MI6 agent codenamed 007.
The luxurious lifestyle, spectacular gadgets and dramatic vehicles have delighted audiences for generations and I’m sure Bond fans will be blown away to see their favourite film series celebrated on £5 coins.
Not the first James Bond themed UK coin…
Bond first appeared on UK coinage in 2018 with the release of the A-Z of Great Britain 10ps.
Naturally, Bond was chosen to represent the letter B as a quintessentially British icon.
This 10p has proven incredibly popular with collectors and has since not only worked its way to the top of the Change Checker Scarcity Index, but has remained on the top spot for the last few updates – confirming the popularity of this coin.
With the release of the brand new James Bond themed £5 coins in this special year celebrating the 25th Bond film, will we see a rise in the demand for Bond themed collectibles?
We certainly think these coins will make for an exciting set to add to your collection, but what do you think about the new Bond £5? Let us know in the comments below!
Add the Brand New Bond £5 Complete Set to your collection!
You can now secure the full 2020 James Bond £5 Set in superior Brilliant Uncirculated quality – what better way to match the luxurious lifestyle of the suave secret agent?