It’s enough to make a Wookiee weep – in an auction room far, far away, Darth Vader’s lightsaber has fetched £3.7million.
The astonishing amount is £1million more than it sold for last year, making it the most expensive Star Wars prop ever.
The lightsaber, which was made from an old camera flash attachment, was used by Vader to cut off Luke Skywalker’s arm in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back – just before the villain uttered the classic movie line: ‘I am your father.’
Bidding at the Ultimate Star Wars Auction in Dallas, Texas, opened at £755,450, and the final sale price of £3,680,000, to an anonymous bidder, beat the previous record £2.77million paid for Skywalker’s lightsaber in July.
Also used in Return Of The Jedi in 1983, the lightsaber has been hailed as ‘one of the most significant cinema artefacts ever’ for Star Wars memorabilia buffs.
The auction included 28 lightsabers, plus blasters and other weapons from the film franchise.
Darth Vader’s lightsaber has sold for a whopping £3.7million
Iconic Star Wars prop: The 12.5in lightsaber, made from a camera flash
Brian Chanes, from Heritage Auctions, which sold Vader’s lightsaber, said: ‘It’s from the most iconic sequence of the entire franchise. From a memorabilia standpoint this is like the Holy Grail.
‘I’ve been doing this for 35 years and I’ve never seen a compilation of screen-used lightsabers like this, from the original franchise to the sequels.’
