Before it hits Propstore’s auction block in September, Darth Vader’s main, screen-matched lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is going on a press tour through London, New York, and Beverly Hills, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. It is the only lightsaber from the original Star Wars trilogy to ever go to auction, and is expected to sell for anywhere between $1-3 million.
“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,” says Propstore COO Brandon Alinger. “It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world.”
For context, Propstore auctioned off a miniature X-wing fighter model created for the original Star Wars, which wound up selling for over $2.3 million. In its upcoming press tour, Darth Vader’s lightsaber will be joined by other iconic movie artifacts up for auction, including the whip used by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Sauron’s helmet featured in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
See also: Disney inventor offers a new hope for retractable lightsaber replica
