Darth Vader‘s Lightsaber Sells for Star Wars Record $3.6M at Auction
A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back has shattered auction records,selling for $3.6 million at Propstore in Los Angeles on Thursday. The sale marks the highest price ever paid for a Star Wars prop and underscores the enduring cultural and financial power of the franchise.
The iconic weapon, a key symbol of the Star Wars saga, was part of a larger auction of film memorabilia that included props from Indiana Jones, star Trek, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The record-breaking sale demonstrates the intense demand among collectors for authentic pieces of cinematic history, particularly those tied too beloved characters and franchises. Bidding continued online, by telephone, and absentee through Saturday.
Among other notable sales, Indiana Jones’ bullwhip and belt from indiana Jones and the Last crusade fetched $475,650, while Jean-Luc Picard’s Ressikan flute from Star Trek: The Next Generation sold for $403,200. Rick Dalton’s flamethrower tank and backpack, as used by Leonardo dicaprio in Once Upon a time in Hollywood, went for $346,500.”Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honored to present this historic artifact in our September sale,” Propstore COO Brandon Alinger said in a previous statement. “It is indeed a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world.”
This sale follows propstore’s 2022 auction of a screen-matched model miniature X-wing fighter from the original Star Wars film, which sold for more than $2.3 million.