There’s certainly more than one Star Wars prop that has gone up for auction, but what happened in Dallas at Heritage Auctions will go down in history: a particular on-set object was sold for nearly $5 million, setting a record for a galaxy far, far away. What makes it especially significant is its link to a specific moment that Star Wars fans haven’t forgotten for 46 years, thanks to a moment cleverly crafted by George Lucas.
Darth Vader’s Lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi Auctioned for Around $5 Million
At the auction there were as many as twenty-seven lightsabers from the sets of all the films in the Star Wars saga, but one in particular drew significant attention: the one wielded by David Prowse, known as Darth Vader, on the sets of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), specifically the blade used in the famed revelation “I am your father,” a cinematic shock for many who immediately tuned into Luke Skywalker’s anguished “Nooooo!” shouted by Mark Hamill. That exact lightsaber sold for $4,875,000, marking the highest-value on-set Star Wars prop sale to date… at least so far. The auction forms part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Star Wars (1977): next year the original film will return to cinemas in full splendor as the franchise eyes a new era, with Star Wars: Starfighter featuring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy.
For reference, previous record auctions included an original Tom Jung painting for A New Hope sold for $3,875,000 in December 2025, and the combined “lightsaber plus Luke’s severed hand” from The Empire Strikes Back, sold for $3,750,000 last July.
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