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Star Wars props go up for auction

Luke’s lightsaber used in two movies expected to sell for up to $250,000

By MARK PRATT, Associated Press
Published: June 17, 2017, 6:00am
4 Photos
In this undated photo provided by Rancho Obi-Wan is the Star Wars museum, Rancho Obi-Wan, in Petaluma, Calif. A Georgia man is facing felony grand theft charges for stealing more than $200,000 worth of prized Star Wars vintage action figures from the California nonprofit museum where roughly 400,000 pieces of memorabilia are stored and shown to visitors. The museum founder says that more than 100 pieces were stolen starting from 2015 to 2016 by a friend who stayed at the compound four times during that period.
In this undated photo provided by Rancho Obi-Wan is the Star Wars museum, Rancho Obi-Wan, in Petaluma, Calif. A Georgia man is facing felony grand theft charges for stealing more than $200,000 worth of prized Star Wars vintage action figures from the California nonprofit museum where roughly 400,000 pieces of memorabilia are stored and shown to visitors. The museum founder says that more than 100 pieces were stolen starting from 2015 to 2016 by a friend who stayed at the compound four times during that period. (Anne Neumann/Rancho Obi-Wan via AP) Photo Gallery

BOSTON — Die-hard Star Wars fans will need to rely on more than the force if they want to bid on an R2-D2 droid that appeared in several of the franchise’s movies.

A couple million dollars might also help.

Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, Darth Vader’s helmet and shoulder armor, as well as imperial and rebel weapons are on the block, but the centerpiece is no doubt the squat blue, white and silver droid famous for communicating in a series of electronic beeps and squeaks.

Representing “the pinnacle of the Star Wars collecting universe,” it could fetch up to $2 million in the June 26-28 auction, according to Calabasas, Calif.-based auction house Profiles in History. The bidding is being handled by Boston-based online auction marketplace Invaluable.

The 43-inch tall R2 unit for sale is sort of a Frankenstein’s monster of droids, pieced together over several years from different original components used in the first five Star Wars movies. There is no known complete original R2 unit, according to the auction house.

For the sequels after the original “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1977, production designers took the aluminum, steel and fiberglass R2 units, retired old and worn out parts and added new features to save time and meet production deadlines.

Fans outbid for the droid may want to take a shot at landing the lightsaber. Carried by actor Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in the first two Star Wars movies, it is expected to sell for anywhere from $150,000 to $250,000.

Unfortunately, the prop does not emit a blade of blue light.

The 10.5 -inch lightsaber comes directly from the archive of Gary Kurtz, producer of “Star Wars: A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” and is accompanied with a letter of authenticity signed by Kurtz.

Props from some of Hollywood’s most famous movies are also for sale, including the illuminated dancing floor from “Saturday Night Fever,” which is expected to get up to $1.5 million.

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