If you're a Star Wars collector with some very deep pockets, you may want to head out to Los Angeles at the end of this month, because you could take home the original Luke Skywalker lightsaber. This historic item is just one of three Star Wars pieces that will be sold off at the Profiles in History auction, which will take place between Monday, June 26 and Wednesday, June 28. Here's the official description of the lightsaber, revealing where it came from.
"Profiles in History is proud to announce, Mark Hamill's screen used Luke Skywalker Lightsaber from A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back will be going up for auction during their three day Hollywood Auction 89 in Los Angeles. It comes directly from the archive of Gary Kurtz, producer of a A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. It is accompanied by a letter of authenticity signed by Kurtz. It is pictured left and estimated to sell for $150,000 - $250,000."
The last time a Luke Skywalker lightsaber sold at an auction it went for $240,000, so this estimate from Profiles in History is likely quite accurate. That won't be the only Star Wars item up for sale, though, with a complete film-used R2-D2 unit also up for auction. There is no price estimate for the R2 unit though. Here's the official description of R2, which will include original concept artwork as well.
"And in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, we're offering some of the most important pieces ever offered, including an unprecedented complete film used "R2-D2" unit, one of the most beloved characters in pop culture. To complement R2, we offer Mark Hamill's hero "Luke Skywalker" lightsaber from Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back from the collection of producer Gary Kurtz. Included are original conceptual artworks by Tom Jung used to create the posters for the original Star Wars trilogy."
The final piece of Star Wars lore that will be up for auction is Darth Vader's helmet and shoulder armor from A New Hope. These are production made pieces that originated from Lucasfilm. They are made of fiberglass and expertly painted. This item is expected to sell for between $40,000 to $60,000. Other non-Star Wars items that will be auctioned off include the original script and production materials for Casablanca, scripts for 17 episodes of The Twilight Zone written by prolific genre author Richard Matheson, Daryl Hannah's mermaid tail from Splash, stop-motion puppets and set pieces from Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, James and the Giant Peach and Coraline, William Peter Blatty's signed and annotated adaptation copy of The Exorcist that he used to create the Academy Award-winning screenplay, and a collection of over 70 items from James Cameron's Titanic, and much more. We have a look at the authentic lightsaber and helmet here.
