This lot will be auctioned on Thursday, November 3rd. The auction will begin at 3:00PM GMT and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, November 4th; Saturday, November 5th; or Sunday, November 6th.

James Bond's (Sean Connery) screen-matched Little Nellie pilot helmet from Lewis Gilbert's Bond film You Only Live Twice. Bond wore his helmet while flying the autogyro dubbed "Little Nellie" to find Blofeld's (Donald Pleasence) hidden base. It matches the one worn by Connery on-screen through the lens serial number and a small chip on the left side of the helmet's metal cinecamera.

Two helmets were made for the production, one worn by Connery for close-ups and one worn by the autogyro stunt pilot, Wing Commander Ken Wallis. Both ended up in Wallis' possession after the production and there are subtle differences between the two, including the shape of the cinecamera and the size of its lens. After production, the helmet was painted black, but it has since been sympathetically restored.

The helmet is made of white plastic with foam padding around the interior. Headphones rest over the ears and a microphone sits across the mouth. A cotton chin-strap is attached between the two headphones. The helmet is displayed on a custom-made stand and is accompanied by a letter detailing the history of the item and a loan agreement between EON Productions and the vendor for the loan of the helmet to the Bond in Motion exhibition in Covent Garden. The helmet was also put on display in a Selfridges shop window on Oxford Street, London, to help promote the film's release in 1967.
Authentication information was provided by Ed Maggiani / TheSpyBoys.com

Estimate: £60,000 - 100,000 M

View all lots from JAMES BOND: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)

View all lots from the JAMES BOND FRANCHISE