Darth Vader Lightsaber Sells for $4.875 Million

A Darth Vader lightsaber used in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” sold for $4.875 million at Heritage Auctions’ Ultimate Star Wars Auction, setting records for a Star Wars collectible and a screen-used prop, according to the auction house.

The weapon appeared in the Cloud City duel between Vader and Luke Skywalker in “The Empire Strikes Back,” the scene in which Vader tells Luke, “I am your father.” The sale price was nearly five times the more than $1 million estimate reported before the auction.

Heritage Auctions described the result as the highest auction price for any Star Wars collectible and a new record for a screen-used Star Wars prop. Those records are based on the auction house’s account of the sale.

The previous screen-used prop record was $3.75 million, set in July when a Luke Skywalker lightsaber and a severed-hand effects rig from “The Empire Strikes Back” sold together. The Vader saber’s $4.875 million price exceeded that combined sale by $1.125 million.

The auction also included 27 other Star Wars lightsabers and memorabilia from Episodes I through IX, as well as other films and television productions. Items offered included props associated with...