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5h ago

Darth Vader Lightsaber Sells for $4.875 Million, Setting Star Wars Auction Record

Verified on-set wear and its reinforced, camera-flash–based construction made the Cloud City dueling hilt uniquely valuable to collectors.

A Propstore employee poses with Darth Vader's primary duelling lightsaber, which featured in the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi at a press preview event in London, Britain, August 6, 2025. The item is to go to auction in Los Angeles and carries a pre-sale estimate of $1 million to $3 million. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A lightsaber wielded by Darth Vader in key fight scenes, including his Cloud City duel with Luke Skywalker in "The Empire Strikes Back," has become the most expensive “Star Wars” prop ever to sell at auction.
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Darth Vader

Overview

  • The lightsaber, which sold at Heritage Auctions’ “Ultimate Star Wars” sale on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, fetched $4.875 million and became the highest-priced Star Wars collectible ever sold at auction.
  • Heritage described the piece as a primary dueling hilt used on screen by David Prowse and stunt performer Bob Anderson in the Cloud City duel from The Empire Strikes Back and again in Return of the Jedi.
  • The auction catalog noted visible damage consistent with heavy dueling use, including scratches, a crack, a missing portion of the upper shroud, and a partially broken grip.
  • The hilt was built from a 1950s British M.P.P. Microflash camera flash attachment and was internally reinforced with aluminum cylinders and bolts to accept wooden dueling blades, details that helped verify its production provenance.
  • The sale led a nearly 200‑lot auction that included 27 other lightsabers and several high‑value franchise items and further signaled rising collector demand after Heritage set an earlier July 2026 record with Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and severed‑hand effects rig.