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BROWSE BY: FILM  |  ACTOR  |  PRODUCT  |  NO TIME TO DIE  |  BOND 26  |  GIFT GUIDE
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Bennett Winch SC Holdall

What a fantastic article! I had fun reading this from start to finish. I too love all things Bond and have gone on the same scavenger hunts. The passion first came when I was studying abroad in London in 2002. I brought my (large by today's standards) laptop and only had room for one DVD; I brought Dr. No. I became fascinated by the detail that went into every prop Terrance Young selected for Connery, but I was most fixated on the lighter and cigarette case from the casino scene and the immortal introduction of Sean Connery as James Bond! I scoured the internet and fan sites to get a clue. I checked eBay (which was still relatively new then). I thought it might be an ST Dupont, so I visited their store in Paris and inquired with the technicians. Eventually, I found myself at Alfred Dunhill on Jermyn Street. There, the salesman was kind enough to give me the name and number of the lead archivist, Peter Tilley. He was kind enough to write me and let me know the lighter was a special order for Terrance Young. It was a small size Dunhill Broadboy MK2 with full cap and long roller (instead of the older thumb wheel). It was made it brass (they also made them in solid sterling silver and 9ct gold) and the lighter was not sent through the press to engine turn the metal. Then a bluing agent was rubbed on by hand, giving it the distinct gunmetal blue appearance. They didn't have PVD technology to actually deposit a substance to the metal. As a result, it had to be re-blued occasionally and you could see some slight brassing on the edges (this can slightly be detected when watching the Blu Ray). After the movie, a fan came in and asked for something similar, only in the larger, standard size, which looked a little more masculine (and didn't need to be refilled with petrol as often). I found this at an auction (purely by luck) in 2005. It is one of my favorite pieces of Bond fan memorabilia. Thank you for writing this piece. It's great to know there are others out there that share the same passion that I have for a little movie detective work and then procuring seemingly impossible pieces. What a FANTASTIC story! Ryan

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