A lightsaber, famously wielded by Luke Skywalker and complete with a severed hand effects rig from The Empire Strikes Back, is poised to become the star attraction at an upcoming pop culture auction, with expectations of a seven-figure sale.
This iconic prop, used by Mark Hamill in the climactic Cloud City duel where Darth Vader delivers his unforgettable “I am your father” line, has never before been offered for public sale. Bidding for the piece is set to commence at $1 million.
The Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction, presented by Heritage Auctions and scheduled for 13-17 July, promises a treasure trove of cinematic and musical memorabilia spanning decades.
Among the other highly anticipated lots are John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for “If I Fell,” penned on the reverse of a Valentine card during The Beatles’ inaugural US appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Bidding for this unique artefact will open at $500,000.
Film enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to bid on Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West hat from the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, starting at $100,000, and the distinctive brown hat worn by Gene Wilder as the title character in 1971′s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with bids beginning at $50,000.
The auction will also include a pair of boxing boots worn by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky III. Stallone wears the showy boots featuring tassels and a Nike swoosh in the opening montage of the 1982 film. Bids will begin at $100,000.
Also up for sale are the two rugs that are essential to the plot of The Big Lebowski, including the rug belonging to Jeff Bridges’ the Dude that is soiled at the beginning of the 1998 film that “really tied the room together,” and the other that he takes from his wealthy namesake. Bidding on them opens at $15,000 apiece.
Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, commented in a statement: “This auction represents the full spectrum of entertainment history, from Hollywood’s Golden Age to modern blockbuster cinema and the most influential moments in popular music.”
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The extensive collection also features hoverboards from Back to the Future II, a Paul Newman hockey jersey from Slap Shot, a necklace worn by the title character in The Bride of Frankenstein, and the inflatable “Otto the Autopilot” from Airplane.
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