Vader Duel Lightsaber Leads Heritage Star Wars Auction at $1M-Plus Estimate
Darth Vader's lightsaber from the Cloud City duel is going back under the hammer.
Heritage Auctions will offer it on Nov. 12 as a highlight of its Ultimate Star Wars Auction. The prop is expected to bring at least $1 million, ABC News reported.
The lightsaber is the glowing, sword-like weapon carried by Vader in the movies. This one was used in the Cloud City fight in "The Empire Strikes Back." It was used again in "Return of the Jedi."
That history matters. The Cloud City duel is the face-off between Vader and Luke Skywalker high above a floating city. The prop survived two original-trilogy films. Few pieces can say that.
It will not be alone. More than two dozen lightsaber props will be up for sale. Together they span Episodes I through IX and other Star Wars films and TV shows.
Two of them come from "Revenge of the Sith." They are the dueling lightsabers wielded by Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker. Each is expected to go for at least $10,000.
Another weapon in the sale belongs to Boba Fett. It is the EE-3 carbine blaster, the bounty hunter's rifle-like gun, from "The Empire Strikes Back." It is estimated to bring in more than $100,000.
The sale goes beyond weapons. A Yoda puppet hand used by Frank Oz in "The Empire Strikes Back" will be included. So will a TIE Fighter pilot helmet from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
Paper is in the mix too. The auction includes Anthony Daniels' signed personal third-draft screenplay for the 1977 "Star Wars." A third draft is an early version of the script, revised before filming.
Recent sales show what these props can do. In July, a Luke Skywalker lightsaber prop with a severed hand from "The Empire Strikes Back" sold for $3.75 million. A year earlier, a screen-used Darth Vader lightsaber sold for $3,654,000, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
What makes this stand out is range. One lot centers on Vader at his peak. The rest opens the door wider, from prequel duels to puppets, scripts and helmets. For fans, this means more ways in at very different prices.
