James Bond pistol fetches $256,000 in US auction

A Walther PP pistol used by the late Sir Sean Connery in the first James Bond film “Dr No” sold for $256,000 at auction in Beverly Hills on Thursday, exceeding earlier estimates for the piece of Hollywood history, Julien’s Auctions said.

The deactivated semi-automatic Walther PP pistol used for the first time by Connery in the movie “Dr. No” in 1962 went on to become the James Bond franchise's most iconic image.

Connery, the first and most popular James Bond in the franchise, died on Oct. 31 this year at the age of 90.

Julien’s said the winning bidder, who wanted to remain anonymous, was an American who had seen every James Bond movie with his or her children. The auction house had previously estimated that the gun would fetch between $150,000 and $200,000.

A helmet used by Tom Cruise as the ace fighter pilot in “Top Gun” also sold at the auction for $108,000, while a sword wielded by Bruce Willis in “Pulp Fiction” fetched $35,200..