Sean Connery was the first Bond Man from 1962 until 1967. George Lazenby had a brief role as the character in 1969. Roger Moore had the longest run as James Bond. He filled the shoes of the character from 1973 to 1985. Timothy Dalton was James Bond from 1987 to 1989. Pierce Bronson played the character from 1995 to 2002. The current James Bond is Daniel Craig who has been in the role since 2006.

All of the James bond books were authorized to be made into feature films in 1950 but the process of doing so took many years. The popular novel Casino Royale was not released for making into a film until 1992 for undisclosed reasons. The public loves the James Bond films though regardless of who is playing the leading man in them. Of the 21 total Bond movies the gross earnings from them is more than $4 billion. The only film series to earn more is Star Wars.

In addition the different collectible items from the different James Bond movies have brought in millions more in revenues. People love to collect the posters and the die cast cars from the various films. There are plenty of Bond action figures as well as those to represent the different villains.

The soundtracks for the Bond movies generally are top sellers as well. For younger generations, the love of James Bond is dominate as well. There are plenty of video games featuring this popular secret agent as well as comic books.

James Bond is definitely an icon in the history of not only America but all over the globe. All generations it seems can remember seeing a new James Bond movie at one time or another. While the stories have changed and the role of Bond himself have changed over the years, the quality of the story lines continue to intrigue viewers of all ages.

Many people fell in love with the Mulsanne Turbo in the Role of Honour. This was a dark green race car that somewhat resembled the body style of the Batmobile. The speed of this vehicle combined with the style and the various antics of the Bond character made it on that people everywhere were envious of. Of course the only real place to find one was on the race tracks in Britain.

Many different models of the Aston Martin have debuted in a variety of Bond films. The Aston Martin DBS didn’t see much action in the movies but was a solid feature just the same. The V8 Vantage was a beautiful convertible with the option of putting the hardtop on it. This vehicle was set up to self destruct if Bond so desired. The V12 Vanquish was an improvement as it didn’t self destruct but it could become invisible.

The most famous of them all is the Aston Martin DB5 that was featured in five different Bond movies. This amazingly fast sports car debuted in 1963 with a gleaming silver color and a very detailed body style. In addition to being a fast car it offered may great features in the movies including hidden machine guns, blades in the tires, an ejectable seat, and bullet proof glass.

Some of the actual Aston Martin DB5’s used in the James Bond movies have sold in recent years for millions of dollars each. Since most of us who enjoy the James Bond cars can’t afford that type of expense I guess we will have to settle for a good quality die cast replica. Many of those have become collector’s items over the years as well.

One of the most popular collectibles from the Bond saga are the cars. Die cast replicas of all of them can be found in retail stores and online. There are model cars that you have to build and paint on your own. The real cars used in the movies often sale for a pretty penny, and some of them are worth millions of dollars for the collectors who have obtained them.

Movie props make good collectibles as well. You can find them listed all over the internet. Make sure that you are getting real items though, not a replica that someone is trying to make a fortune on. Even a certificate of authenticity can be duplicated so do your homework.

James Bond action figures and dolls in a variety of poses are often collected. They come in a variety of sizes as well. For the true collector it can be fun to obtain an entire seat from a particular movie. Younger generations of bond fans seem to really enjoy the trading cards.

Some other types of Bond collectibles include decorative wall plates, photo shoots on location, posters, magazines, games, and autographs. Many Bond collectors are continually on the hunt for new merchandise or perhaps the one or two items they feel are missing to have a complete Bond collection.

Since there are so many different Bond fans out there the types of collections they have are very distinct. Some people don´t collect just one item. Instead they collect them from a particular movie. Other collect Bond items that have to do with a particular man playing the role of Bond. James Bond collectibles are hot items and they generate millions of dollars in sales each year.

In addition you can jump to your favorite Bond scenes with a DVD. You can freeze it, back it up, and set it up to only play your favorite parts of the movie. This is an option you don’t get when you watch a VHS Bond movie.

Some of the newer James Bond movies come as a two DVD set so you can see cut footage that you have never got to see before. This is great for the true James Bond fans that just can’t seem to get enough.

For the ultimate Bond experience you can purchase a silver case that looks like the one the secret agent himself would carry around. Inside the case is a 40 DVD set that contain all the Bond movies, deleted scenes, special features, commentaries, and music videos. This is called the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD Set.

Buying such a complete set of Bond DVD’s can be quite expensive though. You can purchase a used set of them on the various online auction sites for a much lower cost. You can also find plenty of copies of your favorite Bond movies there to add to your collection. Since the movies are so popular you won’t have any trouble finding them for sale in either new or used condition.

The cost of the Bond movies on DVD dropped in price significantly in 2002. Seven of the very popular movies were re-released including Dr. No, Golden Eye, Goldfinger, License to Kill, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Tomorrow never dies. Fans of the movies were very impressed with the $19.98 price instead of the previous $34.98 price. The entire set was sold in a package for $124.96 to offer even more savings.

The 2006 Bond hit Casino Royale was released on DVD in March of 2007. It has been a top seller on the market and a nice addition to any Bond collection. The new bond movie will be released in 2008 and should be on DVD sometime in 2009.

Dr. No started it all in 1962 with Sean Connery starring as the legendary James Bond. Everyone is thrilled with the wild secret agent actions scenes in the movie. Due to the overwhelming response to the first Bond movie the next one was released in 1963. They also like that there is a love story taking place and that begins the onset of what is known as the Bond Girls.

Many of these Bond Girls have found starring in these films to be a way to get their career off the ground. Halle Berry has had no trouble getting quality roles after she was a Bond Girl. She starred in a couple of them and earned an Academy Award for it in 2002. While these beautiful girls help keep the films interesting they also draw criticize from feminist groups that claim they show women in a degrading role.

If you haven’t seen all the James Bond movies you might want to grab a couple and spend the evening watching them. You can view trailers for the various movies online to help you decide which ones will be of the most interest to you. Be ready for some crazy stories, amazing weapons, villains, and even beautiful women who get the interest of Bond who turn out to be villains.

The Bond movies have always been successful because of the quality of the material and the energy that goes into finding the right people to fill the role of Bond. The action in the movies keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. You never know what twists and turns will take place in the movie.

The latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale, was released in 2006. It stars Daniel Craig as Bond. A new one is set to be released in 2008 with Craig as well. While the title hasn’t yet been released producers have shared information that it is going to be a second part to the popular Casino Royale.