Darth Vader's screen-matched hero dueling lightsaber sold for $4,875,000 at Heritage Auctions' November 12 Ultimate Star Wars Auction.
Heritage calls the price a world auction record for any Star Wars collectible. AP independently reported the completed sale and attributed the record to the auction house.
The previous overall collectible record was $3,875,000 for Tom Jung's original half-sheet key poster painting for Star Wars: A New Hope. The prior screen-used Star Wars prop record was $3,750,000 for Luke Skywalker's lightsaber and severed hand effects rig, sold by Heritage in July.
The original-trilogy dueling prop returned to auction
The screen-matched hilt was the dueling weapon used by David Prowse and stunt performer Bob Anderson in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Heritage says a curved D-ring matches a production still from Empire, while a dent on the lower endcap matches a close-up in Jedi.
The same lightsaber sold for $3,654,000 at Propstore in September 2025. Its November 2026 result was $1,221,000 higher.
The Heritage session began at 1 p.m. Central on November 12. Heritage does not publish an exact hammer time for the lot. AP reported the completed sale by 4:59 p.m. Central that day.
Sources: Heritage Auctions result announcement, Heritage auction session, Heritage lot 89037 and AP report.