Features

Darth Vader lightsaber expected to sell for $3m on display in London

lightsaber
 
lightsaber

A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films has gone on display in London ahead of an auction where it is expected to sell for millions.
The primary duelling lightsaber, featured in the climactic battles in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), could fetch up to $3 million.
It is being sold as part of an auction comprising more than 1,000 lots of film-used props and costumes that carry an estimated total value of $10 million.
Top items being sold include the Spider-Man suit worn by Tobey Maguire in the 2002 superhero film and the batsuit worn by Michael Keaton in 1989's Batman.
Maguire's suit carries a pre-sale estimate of between $100,000 and $200,000, while the batsuit could fetch up to $500,000.
Chris Evans' Captain America shield in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) is also being sold, as is Ryan Reynolds' mask in Deadpool (2016) and Jane Fonda's Barbarella costume from the 1968 film.
Elsewhere, Harrison Ford's eight-foot bullwhip, belt, and whip holster from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) are expected to fetch between $250,000 and $500,000.
Props from a range of other popular films and TV shows also feature, including the flamethrower used by Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986), and the stunt Longclaw sword used by Kit Harington's Jon Snow in HBO series Game of Thrones.
A number of props from the Harry Potter film series are also up for auction, including the Platform 9 ¾ sign, which could sell for up to $40,000, and Daniel Radcliffe's wand as Harry Potter from the scenes in The Prisoner of Azkaban when he is seen opening the Marauder's Map.
The shark tooth clapperboard used to film Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975)—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary—will also be sold and carries a pre-sale estimate of between $40,000 and $80,000.
The Star Wars lightsaber went on display as part of a private exhibition at The Dorchester in London on Wednesday ahead of Propstore's auction in Los Angeles, taking place between 4 and 6 September. —PA Media/dpa