Dipped in Gold: Celebrating 60 Years of 007’s Goldfinger
The iconic film was released in 1964, introducing us to many of (what would become) Bond signatures.
It’s been 60 years since the movies met the man with the Midas touch, and the makers of luxury goods are celebrating the anniversary of Goldfinger with a variety of accessories and apparel saluting 007 and his most famous adversary.
The battle between Sean Connery’s James Bond and the villainous Auric Goldfinger made the third film in the EON Productions franchise shine following Doctor No and From Russia With Love. The movie became a runaway hit and set the tone for many of the 22 Bond movies to follow, defining how a supervillain behaves and how cool a spy can be.
To honour this piece of gleaming cinematic history, the following companies partnered with one of the most successful movie franchises in history for limited-time Goldfinger offerings.
Golf Pride
Before battling at Fort Knox, hero and villain meet and duel for the first time on the golf course, with Bond having some fun with Mr. Goldfinger. Golf Pride, the maker of club grips found on the sticks of many PGA Tour professionals, harkens back to that scene on the links with the James Bond Golf Grips Set—Goldfinger edition. Available for preorder, the set includes 13 007 grips for your clubs, while Golf Pride throws in one more to keep as is in its own “gold bar” display box.
___
Agora Models
The Aston Martin DB5 is not only James Bond’s most iconic ride, it’s also on the Mount Rushmore of the greatest movie cars in history. The specially equipped coupe made its first screen appearance in Goldfinger (ejector seat and all), and Agora Models is offering seven (and only seven) 24-karat gold-plated DB5 model kits to commemorate the machine’s silver screen debut. The 500-piece model kit was available beginning on James Bond Day (October 5).
___
The London Sock Exchange
This purveyor of creative and amusing high-quality socks enjoys an ongoing set for everything James Bond. For this gilded birthday, the Sock Exchange released The GoldFinger Collection. The set of five pairs features James Bond in his pretitle-sequence tuxedo, Oddjob throwing his deadly bowler hat, Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus, the Aston Martin DB5, and Auric himself. If you want to expand your licensed-to-kill sock drawer, there are other designs available depicting moments from Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Goldeneye.
___
Rolls-Royce
The builder of ultraluxury automobiles offers the supervillain his first choice in transportation. Goldfinger’s Rolls-Royce Phantom III figures prominently in his deceptive plot—and the automaker is being equally sneaky about its movie commemoration. The company is making an announcement tied into 007 on October 25 for your eyes only.
___
Lock & Co. Auric Cap
The official online store for everything Bond has countless Goldfinger-themed items, some tied into the anniversary and some preexisting. The most stylish must be the James Bond Auric Cap—Goldfinger Anniversary Limited Edition by Lock & Co. Worn by the bad guy on and off the golf course, it’s made from 100 per cent English wool, of course.
The James Bond Franchise never passes up a mission to merchandise and monetize, but you can’t blame the folks masterminding this Goldfinger anniversary due to the movie’s cinematic significance. With all these items inbound, the Ian Fleming estate and EON Productions have Bond fans tied down on a slab of gold with a laser beam burning a molten line straight to their double-0s.
Don’t ask if they expect you to talk. You’ll only hear: “No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to buy!”
