Ever dreamed of holding Mark Hamil’s lightsaber in your hands, wearing Darth Vader’s actual helmet or meeting R2-D2 face to face?
These iconic pieces of science fiction history and more are currently within reach to fans around the world – up for sale in an expansive three-part auction by Profiles in History via eBay, with cinematic memorabilia ranging from The Terminator’s leather jacket to the actual dance floor from Saturday Night Fever.
The sales are hosted on eBay’s Live Auction platform, and will start on June 28!
The keystone of the sale is a complete film-used R2-D2 unit (Lot 1298)— the only known in the public domain — with a starting bid of a cool 1 million dollars. Comprised of aluminum, steel and fiberglass, this unit includes components reused in several films — a standard practice that has been confirmed crew members as true of all “complete” R2-D2 units from the original trilogy. It features a fully articulating front eye, which was used by famed R2 actor Kenny Baker.
The keystone of the sale is a complete film-used R2-D2 unit (Lot 1298)— the only known in the public domain — with a starting bid of a cool 1 million dollars. Comprised of aluminum, steel and fiberglass, this unit includes components reused in several films — a standard practice that has been confirmed crew members as true of all “complete” R2-D2 units from the original trilogy. It features a fully articulating front eye, which was used by famed R2 actor Kenny Baker.
Also featured, Mark Hamil’s lightsaber (Lot 1307), which was sourced from the archive of Gary Kurtz, producer of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back (including a letter of authenticity signed by Gary Kurtz).
Used by Luke Skywalker in both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, the lightsaber was adapted from a 1930s Graflex flashgun, fitted with resin grips and a rivet to hook on Luke’s belt.
Darth Vader's 2 piece helmet (Lot 1304) from A New Hope will surely be popular.
Every item has a story — from C3P0’s foot to original “Millennium Falcon” blueprint drawings to a Rebel “Ezra” lightsaber-blaster. Vintage puppet components (Lot 1318), screen used from the iconic opening scenes of The Empire Strikes Back by legendary animator Phil Tippett are not only incredible hand crafted miniature works of art, but also reflect a key moment in history, as it is widely believed that this fluid puppet animation was key in winning the Special Best Visual Effects Oscar that year.
It is that historical context which makes these museum worthy pieces so incredible, having shaped not only a wonderful arc of storytelling and beloved characters, but making an indelible mark on the history of cinema — and what makes it so incredible that these pieces of a galaxy far, far away are now only a click away, accessible to global fans via eBay.
Created by Lucasfilm with detailing by an FX painter from the Don Post Studios, the helmet and accompanying shoulder panels comes with a Letter of Authenticity from 35-year veteran FX artist Jim Leonard. If you don’t have space for the entire helmet — which is constructed of cast fiberglass and featuring tinted see-through Perspex lenses embedded in the eye sockets and metal finial components — why not consider historic photos of the piece in action taken during the filming of Episode IV photos (Lot 1306).
The sale even includes two pieces of artwork that inspired Lucas in the early days of planning Star Wars: original paintings by Ron Cobb (Lot 1319) from 1975 of lizards and warrior figures that served to inspire the Dewback creatures ridden by Stormtroopers on Tatooine in the first Star Wars film.
The sale even includes two pieces of artwork that inspired Lucas in the early days of planning Star Wars: original paintings by Ron Cobb (Lot 1319) from 1975 of lizards and warrior figures that served to inspire the Dewback creatures ridden by Stormtroopers on Tatooine in the first Star Wars film.
Cobb went on to become a concept artist on Star Wars before working on classics such as Alien, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future, and The Abyss. The work, which was published on the cover of Starlog Magazine issue #57, comes straight from the collection of the screenwriter / director of John Milius’ collection, friend and former USC classmate of George Lucas.
Every item has a story — from C3P0’s foot to original “Millennium Falcon” blueprint drawings to a Rebel “Ezra” lightsaber-blaster. Vintage puppet components (Lot 1318), screen used from the iconic opening scenes of The Empire Strikes Back by legendary animator Phil Tippett are not only incredible hand crafted miniature works of art, but also reflect a key moment in history, as it is widely believed that this fluid puppet animation was key in winning the Special Best Visual Effects Oscar that year.
It is that historical context which makes these museum worthy pieces so incredible, having shaped not only a wonderful arc of storytelling and beloved characters, but making an indelible mark on the history of cinema — and what makes it so incredible that these pieces of a galaxy far, far away are now only a click away, accessible to global fans via eBay.