Heat Vision
The prop has easily exceeded a previous record set by Luke Skywalker's lightsaber.
November 13, 2026 10:39am
The Dark Side really is more seductive, more powerful — judging by this latest auction sale, at least.
Darth Vader’s iconic lightsaber from 1980’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back has set a record for the highest-selling Star Wars prop ever.
The lightsaber sold for a whopping $4,875,000 at Heritage Auctions on Nov. 12, the highest price paid for any collectible item from the franchise (inflation, it seems, has even reached a galaxy far, far away).
Vader’s weapon was used in the Cloud City confrontation in The Empire Strikes Back and also appeared in 1983’s Return of the Jedi.
The lightsaber surpassed by $1 million the previous overall Star Wars record of $3,875,000 for Tom Jung’s original half-sheet key poster painting for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. It also bested a $3,750,000 sale for Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and severed hand effects rig back in July.
Some other high-value sales over the years have included Red Leader’s X-wing fighter miniature going for $3.1 million in 2023, a full-size R2-D2 droid going for $2.8 million and Han Solo’s blaster from A New Hope fetching around $1 million.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter · James Hibberd
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