Darth Vader's lightsaber sells for $4.875 million in Heritage Auctions Star Wars sale

A record price for a screen-used prop

A lightsaber used by Darth Vader on screen sold for $4.875 million on Thursday, 12 November, at the Ultimate Star Wars Auction held by Heritage Auctions, a company based in Dallas. The price went far beyond the auctioneers' estimate of more than $1 million set before the sale. Several outlets converted the amount to about 4.4 million euros. Heritage said the result is a world auction record for any Star Wars collectible and also a record for a prop used during filming. The buyer's identity was not given in the reports.

Screen history

The saber appeared in the Cloud City duel in The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1980, where Vader cuts off Luke Skywalker's hand and reveals that he is Luke's father. The same prop was used in Return of the Jedi (1983), in a confrontation in Emperor Palpatine's throne room. Heritage said it could not confirm that the lightsaber also appeared in the 1977 original, A New Hope, though it called that possibility plausible. Actor David Prowse and his stunt double, Olympic fencer Bob Anderson, both wielded the saber in fight scenes. The prop is linked to the franchise's most recognised sequence, according to the auction house.

The wider Heritage sale

The Thursday event offered items from episodes I to IX of the saga along with pieces from other film and television productions. Besides Vader's saber, Heritage made 27 other lightsaber props available to the public. Other lots included a blaster used by Boba Fett and a Yoda puppet hand from the character's first appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. Brian Chanes, senior director of Hollywood and entertainment at Heritage Auctions, said collectors treat the piece as the ultimate prize, and he explained why:

“It's the one on the set. It's from the most iconic sequence of the entire franchise.”

The July benchmark

In July, a Heritage sale produced $3.75 million for Luke Skywalker's lightsaber and the severed-hand prop from The Empire Strikes Back, the previous top price for a screen-used Star Wars prop. Thursday's result sets a new benchmark above that figure. The chart below compares the two sales.

Vader lightsaber, 12 November4.875

Luke Skywalker lightsaber and hand prop, July3.75

Vader lightsaber, 12 November

4.875 US$ million

Luke Skywalker lightsaber and hand prop, July

3.75 US$ million

Data from the article text