Most expensive Star Wars memorabilia (on-screen item)

The most expensive screen-matched piece of Star Wars memorabilia sold at auction is the "hero" lightsaber used by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The item was sold by Propstore in Los Angeles, California, USA, for $3.6 m (£2.7 m) on 4 September 2025.

The item is one of two "hero" lightsabers made for the production of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – the first was a hilt designed to be worn clipped to the character's belt, the other (this one) was a bladed version used in fight sequences. The original blade would have been a wooden pole covered in reflective tape that provided a bright, clear target for the visual effects team to use when animating the glowing laser effect seen in the film.

As with most of the Props from the original Star Wars trilogy, Darth Vader's lightsaber was assembled from commercially available, off-the-shelf items, dismantled and modified by the Star Wars props team. The core of the hilt is a professional camera-flash tube, decorated with plastic grips, decorative wiring, and bits of an early digital calculator.

The rehearsal and filming process for the fight sequences was famously grueling, and the hilt shows evidence of many months of punishing use. It is covered in cracks, dents and scrapes, the paint is worn off in many places, and some sections were filed off during production after their broken sharp edges posed a risk to the actors.