In 2002 Corgi produced a gold plated Aston Martin DB5, displayed in a gold ingot presentation box. They were originally produced as promotional samples for businesses within the London Area to promote the Corgi brand. The promotion was limited to 99 pieces, which were hand delivered to company CEOs. Unfortunately the lack of information regarding this promotion has since caused a great deal of speculation amongst collectors and the later emergence of variants of this model has added further confusion.
In June this year a UK based specialist toy auction sold 2 of these promotional ingots along with other Bond-related material, including box design concepts, mock ups, photos and suchlike. The collection came from John Gilbert, the Design Manager at Corgi from 2000 to 2006.
The auction was held on 12th June 2014. Every Lot from the collection was sold with a Certificate of Authenticity detailing the sale date, lot number and catalogue description. The certificates are signed by the Saleroom Manager and John Gilbert. In addition, John Gilbert was present during the auction to answer any questions about the collection.
A gold ingot numbered 94/99 sold for £1,300 and a mint condition Gold Ingot numbered 99/99 sold for a golden £1,800. The other design lots also sold for a fairly hefty price.
collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk/Diecast-Collecting/News/Corgi-artwork-auction-at-Astons-realises-thousands/_ch26_nw1299#
John Gilbert is now aware of the huge interest in the 'Golden Opportunity' promotion ingots and of the amount of rumour and speculation that has since followed. He is keen to set the record straight and is in the process of writing an article for the Collectors Club of Great Britain (www.collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk). It is likely that his article will be published in the December issue of the Collectors Gazette. I'll keep you posted.
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The article didn't make this months issue of the Collectors Gazette due to an influx of advertising for Decembers issue. His article has been put back and will now be in the Christmas Issue.
New Corgi 'Goldfinger' Aston Martin DB5 - 50th Anniversary 2015
This iconic model is due to make a return in 2015. The James Bond Aston Martin - 'Goldfinger' 50th Anniversary model is a recreation of Corgi's famous model, first released in October 1965.
Corgi will be releasing 2 versions of the model. The first is Model No.CC04203, presented in its classic silver birch livery. The second is Model No. CC04203G; a limited edition that will be produced in a gold finish. Displayed in a special retro-styled anniversary box featuring artwork from the original 1965 packaging, the new models will come complete with many features such as the ejector seat, retractable machine guns and rotating number plates.
Due for release on 1st January and priced at £19.99.
As I said in the other thread, nothing new! :-q
John Gilbert's article is included in the March edition of the Collectors Gazette, entitled "All That Glitters..." He has provided more background information about the Gold Ingot Promotion.
Lost all faith in Corgi a long time ago.