Darth Vader’s lightsaber from the Original Trilogy is set for auction, but you’re going to need to be a Sith Lord to afford it

There’s something both thrilling and depressing about movie memorabilia auctions. Seeing old props still around? Amazing. Seeing the price tag? Soul-crushing. According to THR, Propstore is set to bring a piece of Star Wars history to auction — Darth Vader’s lightsaber. The screen-matched lightsaber was used in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi by both David Prowse and stunt-double Bob Anderson. It’s expected to fetch somewhere between $1 million to $3 million, but it could go even higher.

“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,” said Propstore COO Brandon Alinger. “It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world.“

This lightsaber is believed to be “the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction and is widely considered one of the most sought-after items in Star Wars collecting.” But before the lightsaber is sold to the highest bidder, it will go on a three-city press tour to London, New York, and Beverly Hills in August. It will be joined by a bullwhip and belt worn by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a hero close-up neuralyzer from Men in Black, and Sauron’s helmet from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The lightsaber prop has the following description: “It is constructed from a vintage British press camera flash handle that was transformed into Vader’s infamous weapon through the fitting of dressing components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles, and cosmetic wiring. This specific prop was further modified with a custom blade-mounting system that facilitated the installation of a wooden rod; the rod served as the blade during the choreographed fight scenes and made the physical, on-camera dueling possible. It also later served as a guide for visual effects artists to add the hand-animated glow for the final shots.“

Just a few years ago, Propstore sold a screen-matched X-Wing fighter model at auction for over $2.3 million. It must be nice to have that kind of money.

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