Darth Vader's 'I am your father' lightsaber sells for record $4.87 million

From a galaxy far, far away to a Dallas auction house — a lightsaber wielded by Darth Vader before he delivered the famous line "I am your father" sold for over $4.87 million on Thursday.

Described by Heritage Auctions as the character's "primary dueling lightsaber," it is the most expensive item of "Star Wars" memorabilia ever to go under the hammer.

The prop was used by actor David Prowse and his stunt double, the Olympic fencer Bob Anderson, in several fight scenes. It was most famously brandished in the Cloud City duel with Luke Skywalker, in 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back," which sees Darth Vader severing his son's hand before making the shock reveal.

Three years later, in "Return of the Jedi," the same prop featured in the pair's confrontation in Emperor Palpatine's throne room. In its sale catalog, the auction house said it was unable to confirm whether the lightsaber was also used in the original movie, 1977's "A New Hope," while adding that it was "possible."

The $4.87 million price tag surpassed the auction record for a "Star Wars" prop, previously held by the other lightsaber from the Cloud City fight. Luke Skywalker's weapon, which was sold with a special effect rig of an amputated hand (created by makeup artist Stuart Freeborn using a mold from actor Mark Hamill), fetched $3.75 million, also at Heritage Auctions, in July.

Rather than being custom-made, many of the original trilogy's lightsabers were in fact repurposed flash holders from vintage cameras. Those used in fight scenes were modified to support prop blades (none of which featured in the auction) and withstand the stresses of combat. The weapons' iconic glow was later animated by artists, frame by frame, in post-production.

Darth Vader's lightsaber displayed damage "consistent with usage as a working dueling prop," the auction catalog said, including scratches, a crack, a missing portion of the upper shroud and a partially broken grip.

Heritage Auctions' "Ultimate Star Wars" sale featured almost 200 props and artworks related to the "Star Wars" franchise, as well as spin-offs like "The Mandalorian." Top lots included other props from "The Empire Strikes Back," including a rifle used by Boba Fett (sold for $375,000) and a miniature model of a Snowspeeder that was used during filming and was once owned by Princess Leia actor Carrie Fisher (sold for $200,000).

The auction also featured 27 other lightsabers, including ones used by Ewan McGregor's Obi Wan Kenobi and Daisy Ridley's character Rey Skywalker. Darth Vader's record-breaker aside, the highest lightsaber prices were achieved by those used by Ray Park's Darth Maul and Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in "The Phantom Menace" and "Revenge of the Sith," respectively. Both fetched $162,500.

Other screen-used "Star Wars" props to attract multi-million-dollar bids include a miniature Red Leader X-wing Starfighter, which sold for over $3.13 million in 2023, and a complete R2-D2 unit that fetched $2.75 million in 2017.