A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi sold for $4.875 million on Thursday, 12 November, a price that Heritage Auctions says is a world record for any Star Wars collectible. The blade went under the hammer at the Ultimate Star Wars Auction held by the auction house that day.
A record price surpassing previous highs for Star Wars collectibles
Pic credit: Heritage auctions
The sale of the lightsaber has surpassed the auction house’s own previous record by about $1 million. That record was $3,875,000, paid for Tom Jung’s original half-sheet key poster painting for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The lightsaber also set a new benchmark for screen-used Star Wars props. It surpassed the $3.75 million fetched by the auction house in July for Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and severed-hand effects rig from The Empire Strikes Back.In fact, the auction house already held a record in another category. In 2023, its screen-matched Red Leader X-wing Starfighter, a filming miniature, sold for $3,135,000. The house has now set records in three of the most sought-after areas of Star Wars collecting.
Darth Vader’s lightsaber
Pic credit: Heritage auctions
The lightsaber was used in the climactic duel on Cloud City, in which Vader tells Luke Skywalker, ‘I am your father.’ This iconic confrontation is one of the most replayed moments in the franchise, and it changed the direction of the saga. The blade also appeared in Return of the Jedi, linking it to the original trilogy’s final chapter.‘Vader’s weapon is a remarkable counterpart to that Skywalker lightsaber: both were used in the unforgettable Cloud City confrontation in The Empire Strikes Back, the duel that culminated in Vader’s revelation and changed the course of the saga. Its use in Return of the Jedi further connects the lightsaber to the original trilogy’s enduring legacy,’ Heritage said in a press release.The sale was part of an auction covering material from Episodes I through IX, as well as later films and television series. Vader’s weapon headlined what Heritage describes as the largest group of Star Wars lightsabers ever offered at public auction. Twenty-seven other examples accompanied it, representing many of the saga’s best-known Jedi and Sith.The sale reflects growing demand for screen-used film props. Collectors have been paying more for screen-used pieces for several years, and this result suggests that the trend is continuing. A lightsaber from the Vader duels now sits at the top of a market where a single prop can outsell a rare piece of original poster art.