A ‘hero’ lightsaber prop used in both ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’ is hitting the auction market for an estimated price of £2.2 million ($3 million USD).
The prop was wielded by Darth Vader against Luke Skywalker in the climactic duels of both Star Wars flicks, and has been a part of a private collection for decades.
Made from a British press camera flash handle, it was converted to a lightsaber with the addition of dressing components such as plastic grips, small electrical wires and a circuit board with magnifying bubbles from a calculator.
READ MORE: Vegan firefighter tackles 40,000lb steak blaze on first shift
- Advertisement -
Propstore, which is selling the item, said: “Genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy are incredibly rare.
“This is believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop with verifiable screen use to ever be offered at public auction.
“It is one of the rarest and most sought-after ‘grail’ Star Wars props in existence.”
Propstore are hosting a bona fide treasure trove of nerdom, including screen-used props from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Lord of the Rings, Batman and Alien.
Need To Know reports that one item available to bid on is a complete Batsuit from the 1989 film, Batman.
- Advertisement -
Worn by Michael Keaton, the complete suit comes with foam latex muscle armour, covering the torso, forearms, thighs, and lower legs and is mounted to an original elastane bodysuit tagged “Michael K 11.”
The Batsuit is expected to sell between $250,000 – $500,000 (£186,567 – £373,134).
Another ‘supersuit’ on the block is a Spider-Man costume worn by Tobey Maguire during the 2004 movie, Spider-Man 2.
- Advertisement -
Created by Frontline Design under the supervision of Academy Award-winning costume designer James Acheson, this version of Spider-Man’s costume reflected refinements made for Spider-Man 2.
It features darker blue fabric, a more streamlined muscle silhouette, slightly reduced eye lenses, and an enlarged chest emblem.
The estimate on the Spider-Man costume sits at $100,000 – $200,000 (£76,627 – £149,253).
Other items include: Ellen Ripley’s (played by Sigourney Weaver) flamethrower, which featured in Aliens (1986), and is expected to fetch between $125,000 – $250,000 (£93,283 – £186,567).
Meanwhile, Captain America’s shield is set to fetch between $60,000 – $120,000 (£44,776 – £89,552).
The auction opens with Propstore on 4 September in Los Angeles, California, with the entire event taking place over two days.
READ MORE: Shoppers left outraged after budget clothes chain says it’s pronounced ‘Preemark’ not Primark
