Star Wars Lightsaber Prop With Severed Hand Sells For Record $3.75M
An iconic lightsaber prop used by Mark Hamill portraying Luke Skywalker during the climactic Cloud City duel in "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" has just sold at auction for a staggering $3.75 million, making it the most valuable on-screen "Star Wars" prop ever sold. The record sum surpasses the $3.6 million a collector previously paid for Darth Vader's lightsaber from "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" in 2025.
What makes this particular auction lot stand out isn't just the famous weapon itself, which measures roughly 10 inches long and was historically constructed using a vintage Graflex camera flash handle by Oscar-winning art director Roger Christian. The winning bidder also secured an extremely rare and, if we're being honest, morbidly fascinating companion piece in the form of the custom severed hand prosthetic and rig effects assembly.
Fun fact: the prosthetic hand was cast from Hamill's own hand. You can see in the auction house's photo dump that it contains meticulously painted wrist wounds, along with the original spring-loaded release mechanism engineered to make the limb detach. This is what special effects looked like back in the day, folks.
"As the original film approaches its 50th anniversary, interest in the 'Star Wars' prop and memorabilia market remains white hot, with record prices achieved across nearly every major collecting category," Heritage Auctions states. "Original trilogy 'Star Wars' lightsabers occupy the absolute pinnacle of entertainment memorabilia, with screen-used examples tied to specific and pivotal on-screen moments remaining extraordinarily rare."
Whether the new owner plans to display the legendary prop alongside its gruesome prosthetic twin or lock it away in a climate-controlled vault far, far away is not certain. It's also uncertain if the winning bidder would be willing to part with the iconic prop. If you want to try to pry it from their presumably non-severed hands, Heritage Auctions has an option to make an offer to the owner, starting at $4,687,500. Alternatively, Seagate's Lightsaber FireCuda SSDs are a cheaper route (even with storage prices soaring).
Whether the new owner plans to display the legendary prop alongside its gruesome prosthetic twin or lock it away in a climate-controlled vault far, far away is not certain. It's also uncertain if the winning bidder would be willing to part with the iconic prop. If you want to try to pry it from their presumably non-severed hands, Heritage Auctions has an option to make an offer to the owner, starting at $4,687,500. Alternatively, Seagate's Lightsaber FireCuda SSDs are a cheaper route (even with storage prices soaring).
Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions
