Darth Vader Lightsaber Fetches Record $4.87 Million at Auction

WHO:

CNN - The lightsaber was wielded by Darth Vader and used by actor David Prowse and stunt double Bob Anderson, an Olympic fencer.

CNN - Other auction items included a Boba Fett rifle, a Snowspeeder miniature once owned by Carrie Fisher, and lightsabers used by Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker, Ray Park’s Darth Maul, and Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker.

CNN - Heritage Auctions organized the “Ultimate Star Wars” sale, which included almost 200 props and artworks from “Star Wars” and spin-offs such as “The Mandalorian.”

WHAT:

Coming Soon - The lightsaber sold for $4,875,000.

CBS News Entertainment - A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” sold for nearly $5 million.

CNN - The lightsaber sold for over $4.87 million, setting a record as the most expensive “Star Wars” memorabilia item ever to go under the hammer.

CNN - Heritage Auctions described it as Darth Vader’s “primary dueling lightsaber.”

CNN - Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber from the Cloud City fight had previously held the record, selling for $3.75 million with a special-effect amputated-hand rig created by makeup artist Stuart Freeborn using a mold from Mark Hamill.

CNN - The Boba Fett rifle sold for $375,000; the Snowspeeder miniature sold for $200,000; and the Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker lightsabers each sold for $162,500.

CNN - The auction featured 27 other lightsabers. A miniature Red Leader X-wing sold for over $3.13 million, and a complete R2-D2 unit sold for $2.75 million.

WHERE:

CNN - The sale took place at a Dallas auction house.

WHEN:

Coming Soon - The auction took place on November 12.

CNN - The lightsaber appeared in the Cloud City duel in “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and in the throne-room confrontation in “Return of the Jedi” (1983). Its use in “A New Hope” (1977) could not be confirmed by the auction house, which said it was “possible.”

CNN - Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber sold in July; the Red Leader X-wing sold in 2023, and the R2-D2 unit sold in 2017.

HOW:

CNN - Many original-trilogy lightsabers were repurposed vintage-camera flash holders. Fight-scene versions were modified to hold prop blades and withstand combat; artists added the glow frame by frame in post-production.

CNN - The auction catalog described damage consistent with use as a working dueling prop: scratches, a crack, a missing portion of the upper shroud, and a partially broken grip.

(UPDATED November 13, 2026 22:03 UTC)

Darth Vader’s lightsaber sold for nearly $4.9 million, setting a Star Wars memorabilia record. The prop appeared in two films and was wielded by actor David Prowse and Olympic fencer Bob Anderson. A Red Leader X-wing miniature also sold for over $3 million.

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(UPDATED November 13, 2026 16:04 UTC)

Darth Vader’s lightsaber from two Star Wars films sold for nearly five million dollars, setting a memorabilia record. The Dallas auction included almost 200 Star Wars props and artworks. A Red Leader X-wing and R2-D2 unit also sold for millions.