Auctions of props from Star Wars always fetch big bids, but when the item is Han Solo’s blaster from Return of the Jedi, that ups the stakes considerably.
It wasn’t a wealthy fanboy who coughed up the winning $550,000 bid on Saturday, though. It was Ripley’s Believe It or Not
The winning bid topped the $450,000 a fan paid for the lightsaber wielded by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back.
James Schoppe, the film’s art director, had held onto the props for the past 30 years before putting them up for sale over the weekend. Beyond the blaster (which, sorry folks, was largely made of wood), an Ewok axe and plans for Jabba the Hutt’s ship were also sold.
While the money paid for the blaster is impressive, it’s not a record for Star Wars memorabilia. That distinction goes to an R2-D2 that was used in several Star Wars films. It sold last year for $2.76 million.
The sale of Hollywood memorabilia, organized by Julien’s Auctions, also found someone willing to spend $200,000 for Christopher Reeve’s Superman costume, fetched $32,000 for the boardroom table from The Apprentice, and unloaded The Fonz’s motorcycle from Happy Days for $179,200.
Star Wars memorabilia is always hot among collectors. In 2015, a Sotheby’s auction of action figures from the films took in $500,000. That enthusiasm isn’t lost on Disney, which has licensed a number of high-priced licensed items, including a $10,250 Darth Vader Crystal and a $9,999 Han Solo Carbonite Desk.