R2-D2 Droid Used in Original ‘Star Wars’ Films Sells at Auction for Nearly $3 Million
Anything related to Star Wars would be considered a hot commodity amongst memorabilia collectors. There’s the 24 karat gold Darth Vader mask which was being sold in a jewelry store in Japan for $1.4 million or the one of a kind Millennium Falcon piano which was up for auction on eBay. But the most coveted of memorabilia would have to be an actual prop or item that was used in the movie. One lucky collector scored big with one such item at an auction this past week.
A complete R2-D2 was sold to a collector for $2.76 million at an auction on Wednesday. The unit was made up of parts which had been used throughout filming during the original Star Wars films (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) and the first two prequel films (The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones).
The full size of the R2 unit measures 43 x 29.5 x 20 inches and was originally estimated to be valued between $1 million and $2 million by the auction house. No information was released regarding who actually purchased the droid but it was the most expensive item up for auction.
Other items which sold included Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber which was used in the first two Star Wars films and Darth Vader’s actual helmet from the original film. The lightsaber sold for $450,000 and the helmet sold for $96,000.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
A karaoke obsessed, craft beer enthusiast and lover of all things pop culture, Denise enjoys all facets of entertainment from Broadway to box office blockbusters. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, concerts (lots and lots of concerts), volunteering, reading and playing with her rescue kitten, Samantha (who rescued who, right?).
