Darth Vader’s bright red lightsaber from the original Star Wars trilogy is set to fetch a pretty penny at auction as sci-fi fans scramble to bid on the iconic film prop
Darth Vader’s original lightsaber from the Star Wars franchise could be yours.
The original prop was wielded by the infamous villain in the Star Wars trilogy and is now set to go under the hammer, with auctioneers predicting it could fetch over £1 million.
The weapon, referred to as Darth Vader’s “primary duelling lightsaber prop”, was featured in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back and the sequel Return Of the Jedi.
This memorabilia from the legendary sci-fi films is obviously extremely rare and was reportedly part of a private collection for many years, now set to feature in a Propstore auction in September 2025.
Vader’s lightsaber was used by David Prowse, who played the masked antagonist, against Mark Hamill, who played his son Luke Skywalker (spoiler alert).
According to the auction house authentic lightsaber props from the original trilogy are scarce and this one is “believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction”.
Its estimated price is said to range from $1 million to $3 million, which is around £746,000 to £2,241,000, at the upcoming Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: Los Angeles event.
COO of Propstore Brandon Alinger said: “The lightsaber, or laser sword as it was initially called, was imagined by George Lucas as the perfect defensive weapon for a more sophisticated age,” reports the Mirror.
“Nearly 50 years after the first Star Wars film, lightsabers are a universally recognised symbol of the world’s most beloved film franchise and are consistently ranked as the most iconic and memorable props of all time. They are the ‘ruby slippers’ of cinema’s modern era. Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honoured to present this historic artefact in our September sale.”
“It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world. This lightsaber is simply everything you want it to be – one of the most significant Star Wars artefacts ever. One of the most significant cinema artefacts ever.”
The lightsaber features plastic grips, calculator bubbles and decorative wiring, while wooden rod was cleverly adapted to serve as the blade for on-screen battles which enabled choreographed fight scenes.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
