Darth Vader strikes back at auction as his lightsaber from two original Star Wars films reclaims the record from Luke Skywalker's prop

Darth Vader's lightsaber sold for nearly $5 million, breaking the record set by Luke Skywalker's in July. The hilt, made from a 1950s camera flash attachment, was used in two of the original trilogy's duels. A lightsaber prop made for "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader sold for $4.875 million (€4.4 million) on Thursday, setting an auction record for a collectible from the franchise , according to Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The iconic prop was used in two defining duels between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Vader wielded the lightsaber in the climactic Cloud City duel in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), where he cuts off Luke's hand. When Luke accuses him of killing his father, Vader replies with one of the saga's most famous lines: "No.

I am your father." The same lightsaber returned for their final duel in "Return of the Jedi" (1983). This time, Luke cuts off Vader's hand but refuses to kill him. Vader's lightsaber set an auction record for a screen-used "Star Wars" prop in 2025.