Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber Sells for $3.75 Million at Auction
Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from one of the most iconic scenes in film history just became the most expensive Star Wars prop ever sold at auction.
Heritage Auctions announced that the lightsaber, along with its severed hand effects rig, sold for $3.75 million during its Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction.
The prop was used by Mark Hamill in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back during the climactic Cloud City duel, in which Darth Vader famously reveals to Luke Skywalker, "I am your father," before slicing off his hand. The effects rig included a practical cast of Hamill's hand, made in 1979 specifically for the scene.
Heritage Auctions said the sale set a new world auction record for a screen-used Star Wars prop, surpassing the previous record set less than a year earlier. In September 2025, a Darth Vader lightsaber used in both The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi sold at a Propstore auction for $3,654,000, a mark that held as the highest price ever paid for a Star Wars item until this latest sale.
Why the Prop Commands Such a High Price
Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, explained what makes the piece so significant to collectors. "This is one of the most important surviving Star Wars artifacts in existence," Maddalena said.
The scene itself remains one of the most referenced moments in movie history, marking a turning point not just for Luke Skywalker's character, but for the franchise as a whole. Hamill has said in the past that the twist was kept so secret during filming that only he, director Irvin Kershner and creator George Lucas knew Vader's real line before the film's release. Cast and crew reportedly worked from a placeholder line during filming and didn't learn the actual reveal until they saw the finished film.
Other Notable Sales From the Same Auction
The lightsaber wasn't the only piece of film history to fetch a significant sum at the same Heritage Auctions event. Margaret Hamilton's screen-worn Wicked Witch of the West hat from 1939's The Wizard of Oz sold for $550,000. A photo-matched Willy Wonka top hat worn by Gene Wilder in 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, from the collection of director Mel Stuart and one of only two hats known to have been used during filming, sold for a record $350,000.
The sale reflects a broader trend of soaring prices for screen-used Star Wars memorabilia, with two separate auctions now breaking the franchise's all-time price record within less than a year of each other.
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