A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy has sold for £2.7m at auction in Los Angeles.
The prop, which featured in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, was sold on Thursday, and is one of more than 400 authentic film props auctioned by Propstore, a movie memorabilia outlet, as part of their “entertainment memorabilia live auction”.
The lightsaber was one of several props from science fiction films sold for a large sum during the auctions first day, with the Ressikan flute played by Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard in the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series going for £299,400 and the mind-wiping “neuralyzer” device used by the agents in Men in Black fetching £233,900.
Items from fantasy media also attracted large price tags, with the Platform 9 3/4 sign used in the Harry Potter films and a wand used by Daniel Radcliffe in the Prisoner of Azkaban being auctioned off for £102,900 and £60,800 each, and Longclaw, the Valyrian steel bastard sword used by Kit Harington’s Jon Snow in the Game of Thrones series fetching £70,170.
Other items auctioned included the Spider-Man suit worn by Tobey Maguire in the eponymous 2002 film, which was sold for £215,190, and the whip used by Harrison Ford’s title character in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which went for £360,260.
Brandon Alinger, the chief operating officer of Propstore, called the sale of the lightsaber “a landmark moment not just for Propstore, but for the entire world of film collecting.
“To see a Star Wars lightsaber – the symbol of one of cinema’s greatest sagas – become the highest-valued piece of the franchise ever sold at auction is incredibly special.
“It speaks to the enduring cultural power of Star Wars and the passion of fans and collectors who see these artefacts as touchstones of modern mythology.”
In all, the 433 auction lots sold on the first day of the auction sold for a grand total of £10,618,530, buyers premium included. The auction is scheduled to continue on Friday and Saturday, with a further 600 items listed for sale.
