Ian was a long-standing family friend.
Solomon
James Bond author's handgun fetches ?12,000 at auction
A revolver presented to 007 author Ian Fleming has been sold for ?12,000 at auction.
The Colt Python .357 Magnum was made for the creator of James Bond, who lived at St Margaret?s at Cliffe, by gunmaker the Colt Company and given to him in 1964.
The weapon was engraved with the message: ?Presented To Ian Fleming By Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co.? It is still in working order and was sold by Bonhams in London
Over the years Fleming took some criticism for leaving Bond exposed and under-gunned with the Italian Beretta .25.
In Doctor, No Bond abandoned his Beretta as he was ordered to begin carrying a Walther PPK 7.65mm as his standard issue firearm.
So around the time that Fleming was writing The Man with the Golden Gun, Colt presented the .357 Magnum to him.
The book?s villain, Scaramanga, used the bulky Colt, but Bond stayed with the Walther PPK which would not spoil the line of his immaculate dinner jacket.
