Darth Vader’s Lightsaber Sells for $4.875 Million, Setting a Star Wars Auction Record

Darth Vader’s lightsaber from “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983) sold for $4.875 million at auction in the United States on Thursday, Nov. 12. The price, equivalent to about 28 million Brazilian reais, set a record for a Star Wars collectible and for a screen-used prop from the franchise.

Heritage Auctions sold the weapon at an event featuring memorabilia from the films. The lightsaber is particularly associated with the duel between Vader and Luke Skywalker in Cloud City in “The Empire Strikes Back,” where Vader reveals that he is Luke’s father. The same prop was used in the characters’ final confrontation in “Return of the Jedi,” when Luke defeats Vader but chooses not to kill him.

The prop’s handle was made using a flash attachment from a British camera dating to the 1950s. The production team added black plastic pieces, small magnifying lenses taken from a calculator display and fittings to hold wooden blades used during fight scenes. Because the visual effects were added later, those blades gave effects artists a reference for drawing the lightsaber’s signature red glow frame by frame.

Heritage Auctions verified the prop by comparing details with production photographs, including a bend in the handle’s attachment ring and a mark on the base. Actor David Prowse and stunt performer Bob Anderson wielded the lightsaber in scenes from the original trilogy.

The sale surpassed the previous record, set in July 2026 when Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber sold for $3.75 million alongside a prop used to depict his severed hand in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Darth Vader’s weapon now ranks first among Star Wars items sold at auction. The Heritage Auctions event also featured objects tied to Episodes I through IX, items from other film and television productions, and 27 additional lightsabers.