There are literal tons of Star Wars products in storefronts all over the world, covering everything from George Lucas’ setting to Darth Vader, everyone’s favourite villain. But there are some things that just can’t be sold at retail. One of those things is the Sith Lord’s lightsaber. The real one. The actual prop used in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Search your wallet, Luke
The folks at PropstoreAuction turned up the item, which was constructed from part of a camera flash bulb from the 1950s — specifically, a Micro Precision Products Microflash — and put it up for auction this week. There’s no time to grab yourself a bargain, however. It’s been sold. It was expected to fetch at least R18 million ($1 million) but went for nearly three times that amount.
The winning bid for this bit of Star Wars memorabilia eventually sold for $2.9 million, or just over R51 million. But, in case you’re still hankering after a piece of movie history, the online auction that disposed of Darth Vader’s weapon continues through this weekend. Much of what’s on offer isn’t priced nearly as high — though some of it will probably come close.
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At the time of writing, items like hand-drawn artwork from the Airwolf series (bidding starts at $1,000), a pulse rifle replica from Aliens signed by Ripley herself (starting at $500 — a relative bargain), as well as items from 12 Monkeys, most of the Batman movies from 1989 to Nolan’s The Dark Night, Back to the Future (all three), and many, many more besides, at a variety of price points. Even if you don’t end up bidding, seeing what’s on offer is an interesting way to relive a bit of classic Hollywood.
For Star Wars fans hoping for something Darth Vader-related, there’s still more specifically related to those films. Some of it is priced as low as $200 (R3,600). That’s a press kit for 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope, or, as it was known back then, just Star Wars.
