Of all the hundreds of bars, pubs, and taverns I’ve ever stumbled into, not once has a lightsaber called out to me from the basement. But while I doubt I’ll ever have a Star Wars moment like Rey did at Maz Kanata’s in The Force Awakens, a new auction means I can still get my hands on one of Luke Skywalker‘s actual lightsabers. Although with a price tag of around a quarter of a million dollars it still might not happen.
Bonhams is auctioning off an authentic—a.k.a. very pricey—lightsaber belonging to Luke Skywalker from the filming of Return of the Jedi. This 11.75-inch long, 2-inch in diameter prop is one of the three filmmakers used for Luke’s surprise attack at the Sarlaac Pit, with this particular one being the model hidden inside of R2-D2. Bonhams notes the chipped edge along the top rim can be seen in closeups from the film.
The auction runs until November 21st, and has a listed price of $150,000 to $250,000 (oh, is that all?). However, in case you collected enough bounties from Jabba to actually afford this, be aware the lightsaber no longer works. I imagine they removed the kyber crystal for both safety and legal reasons. They might be a more elegant weapon from a more civilized time, but lightsabers are very dangerous.
And that—along with the prohibitive price tag—is for the best. Because if I ever got my hands on one of Luke’s lightsabers I’d definitely want to show it off at my local watering hole, and that would only end in a Ponda Baba situation.
If you could buy any lightsaber from any Star Wars movie, which one would you want? Tell us in the comments below.
Return of the Jedi Images: Lucasfilm
Lightsaber Image: Bonhams
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