Julien’s Auctions has sold Han Solo’s Blaster from Return of the Jedi (Lucasfilm 1983) for almost half a million pounds.
Julien’s says Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum purchased the blaster—whose sale topped the world-record-breaking auction house’s Hollywood Legends auction—for $550,000 (£415,000).
The BlasTech DL-44 blaster was one of many items to go under the hammer at Julien’s Auctions Hollywood Legends sale at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday (24 June).
The movie prop weapon, which is made mostly of wood, has spent more than 30 years in the possession of the film’s art director, James Schoppe.
‘This is believed to be one of four hero Han Solo blasters made for and used in Return of the Jedi,’ explained the auction house prior to the sale.
‘Given the provenance of this piece—coming directly from the art director of Return of the Jedi—along with the accompanying documentation, it should prove to be one of the most historic offerings of genuine Star Wars movie prop memorabilia to ever come to public auction,’ Julien’s added.
An original Ewok prop axe from Star Wars also sold for $11,250 and an Imperial Scout Trooper blaster from Return of the Jedi fetched $90,625.
Among the other sale highlights was rare full Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve in Superman III, which sold for $200,000, and a dress worn by legendary screen goddess Marilyn Monroe, which fetched $50,000.
100 percent of the profits from the sale of the Marilyn Monroe black wool dress will go to Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
Other Marilyn ephemera, including a photograph, signed ‘To Buddy/It’s a pleasure to work with you/ Marilyn Monroe’ and an original first issue of Playboy magazine lit up the auction stage.
The signed photograph sold for $44,800—more than 10 times its original estimate—and the Playboy magazine, signed by Hugh Hefner, fetched $35,200.
Several vehicles driven by some of Hollywood’s biggest icons revved up the auction block including Elvis Presley’s 1970 Mercedes Benz 280 SEL, which sold for $187,000; ‘The Fonz’s’ 1949 Triumph Trophy TR500 motorcycle that was used in the production of Happy Days, which sold for $179,200; and a 1987 army green Harley Davidson FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger, which sold for $38,4000.
Other highlights of the auction were Donald Trump’s The Apprentice boardroom table, which sold for $32,000 (initial estimate: $10,000-20,000); a Playboy Bunny costume worn by meteorologist Valerie Voss when she worked as a waitress at the former Playboy Club, which sold for $22,400; a tuxedo worn by Frank Sinatra that sold for $22,400; a bamboo cane owned and used by Charlie Chaplin while working at Mack Sennett Keystone Studios, which sold for $16,000; cake slices from the royal weddings of Prince William and Kate Middleton (estimate $600-800) and of Prince Charles and Princess Diana (estimate: $800-1,200), which each sold for $1,920.
Read more about Julien’s Auctions in our exclusive Darren Julien interview here.
