Overview
- Heritage Auctions confirmed late Wednesday that the original Luke Skywalker lightsaber sold for $3.75 million, a new world auction record for a screen‑used Star Wars prop.
- The lot included the lightsaber handle used by Mark Hamill in the climactic duel and the original severed‑hand effects rig, which Heritage says descended directly from makeup artist Stuart Freeborn.
- The prop was built from a modified Graflex flash unit, the design that became Luke’s iconic weapon across the original trilogy and a key factor in the item’s significance to collectors.
- The item was offered with expectations around $1 million to $2 million but bidding surged well past estimates, illustrating strong competition and volatility at the top end of the memorabilia market.
- The $3.75 million result surpasses the previous screen‑used prop record of $3.135 million for a 1977 X‑wing model and sits just below the franchise’s overall auction high of $3.875 million for Tom Jung’s poster.