For the first time ever, Star Wars fans with very deep pockets have a shot at owning one of the most legendary movie props in cinema history: the actual lightsaber wielded by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Propstore, one of the world’s leading movie memorabilia auction houses, is putting this “hero” Vader saber on the block in September 2025. The sale will take place in Los Angeles, but before the big day, the saber will go on a media tour with stops in London, New York, and Beverly Hills.
We’re not talking about a replica you can grab from a convention booth. This is the genuine dueling prop used by David Prowse in costume and stuntman Bob Anderson during some of Vader’s most iconic fight scenes.
Built from a British press-camera flash handle, the saber features a unique blend of low-tech and movie magic: plastic grips, exposed wiring, a calculator circuit board with “bubble” magnifiers, and a wooden dueling rod for the blade. Careful inspection reveals battle damage that matches what’s visible on screen, making the authenticity iron-clad.
Collectors call this “hero” status — a prop built for close-up shots and actual action sequences, not just background filler. And in this case, it’s believed to be the only screen-used Vader hero lightsaber from the original trilogy ever offered in a public auction.
Propstore estimates the final sale price could land anywhere between $1 million and $3 million. That’s not uncharted territory for high-end Star Wars memorabilia — a screen-matched A New Hope X-Wing model sold for $2.3 million in 2022, and even stormtrooper helmets have pulled in six-figure bids.
But this is Darth Vader’s lightsaber we’re talking about — arguably the most recognizable weapon in movie history. For the right bidder, the emotional pull could push it to the top end of that estimate, or even higher.
It’s hard to overstate how rare this is. Original trilogy hero sabers almost never leave private collections, and the cultural weight of Vader’s weapon makes this one a “grail-level” piece. It’s not just a prop — it’s a piece of film history tied to some of the most unforgettable moments in Star Wars: the carbon-freeze duel on Bespin, Luke’s final confrontation on the second Death Star, and the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker.
For most of us, the closest we’ll get is seeing it on the media tour or in auction photos. But for one lucky (and very wealthy) fan, come September, this piece of the galaxy far, far away will no longer be a legend on screen — it’ll be sitting in their personal collection.