Artunderwraps

First Edition Prices, Values and Auction Results

Who would imagine that super spy James Bond would be sent by his superior, M, to a retreat from a life of excess and smoking only to be lured into unraveling a scheme when pitted against villain Count Lippe who attempts to kill him. In Thunderball by Ian Fleming first published in 1961 by Jonathan Cape, there is no rest for the weary Bond as he travels to the Bahamas to follow the trail of the criminal organization, SPECTRE, led by Ernst Stavo Blofeld, who has stolen nuclear warheads. This novel is the first in the Blofeld (or SPECTRE) trilogy. First editions with dust jacket in good condition have sold at auction for $100-$600. A signed first edition dramatically increases prices, commanding as much as $5,000 at auction.

We collected a sample of 12 auction results of Fleming, Ian's Thunderball from 1 different auction houses. The lowest overall price realized in our sample was $96 and the highest overall price realized was $5250. The overall average price was $820 and the median price realized for the book was $312. There were 0 auctions (0%) with a price realized below the low estimate, 0 auctions (0%) exceeding the high estimates, and 0 auctions (0%) within the range of the low and high estimates. Auctions of interest include: a Bonhams sale on June 25, 2013 of a 1961 - Jonathan Cape edition for $5250 that signed by the author;