Photo: Rock Island Auction
I am a big sucker for anything sci-fi, but, slam me all you want, I’ve never been a big Star Wars fan. To me, the entire universe, the story, and the characters seem at times a bit childish, cartoonish even, nowhere near close to the complexities of say Dune, or Battlestar Galactica.
That being said, I am well aware Star Wars has a huge fanbase, with members that at times will stop at nothing, not even at spending millions of dollars, if the adventure ends with them being the owners of some related item.
Back in 2017, for instance, someone spent $2.75 million to get their hands on an original R2D2 droid. In June 2022, an original X-Wing miniature used in the movies went for $2.3 million. And a few days ago, a BlasTech DL-44 Heavy Blaster featured as Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) favorite sidearm in A New Hope (1977), found a new owner for $1,075,000.
The prop weapon was the star of an auction held last weekend by Rock Island Auction. The most optimistic of estimates said it could fetch as much as $500,000, but the fight for it must have been fierce for it to land more than double that.
The prop is described as the “sole surviving example of the original three used in filming.” It’s a Mauser C96 broomhandle pistol, previously used in Frank Sinatra’s Naked Runner (1968), modified with “a World War II era scope and the muzzle from an airplane-mounted machine gun.”
After being used in A New Hope, the prop was misplaced, and for a long time, it was thought to have been lost for good (for subsequent Star Wars movies, new ones had to be made). The auction house does not say how the seller came to own this documented piece, but that probably matters little at this point.
Back in 2017, for instance, someone spent $2.75 million to get their hands on an original R2D2 droid. In June 2022, an original X-Wing miniature used in the movies went for $2.3 million. And a few days ago, a BlasTech DL-44 Heavy Blaster featured as Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) favorite sidearm in A New Hope (1977), found a new owner for $1,075,000.
The prop weapon was the star of an auction held last weekend by Rock Island Auction. The most optimistic of estimates said it could fetch as much as $500,000, but the fight for it must have been fierce for it to land more than double that.
The prop is described as the “sole surviving example of the original three used in filming.” It’s a Mauser C96 broomhandle pistol, previously used in Frank Sinatra’s Naked Runner (1968), modified with “a World War II era scope and the muzzle from an airplane-mounted machine gun.”
After being used in A New Hope, the prop was misplaced, and for a long time, it was thought to have been lost for good (for subsequent Star Wars movies, new ones had to be made). The auction house does not say how the seller came to own this documented piece, but that probably matters little at this point.
Google News