Heritage Auctions recently announced that Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, complete with his severed hand, has been sold for a hefty sum. The iconic prop appeared in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. It is now regarded as the highest-priced Star Wars artifact, surpassing the previous record set by Darth Vader’s lightsaber, which was used in The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi.

Luke Skywalker’s iconic Star Wars lightsaber sells for a fortune at an auction

Luke Skywalker’s severed detached hand holding the iconic lightsaber has been sold for a price of $3,750,000, as confirmed by Heritage Auctions. It’s sold for the highest price, breaking the record earlier held by Darth Vader’s lightsaber, which went for  $3,654,000 at the auction.

The recently sold prop appeared in a 1980 movie, where Darth Vader gives important news to Skywalker about his father. During the Cloud City fight, he dramatically reveals that he’s his father. He then cuts Mark Hamill’s character’s hand. Skywalker screams in pain as Vader watches him.

Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions, shared the significance of the prop and the scene while disclosing what increases its value and why bidders were ready to give a higher price in a recent statement. “This is one of the most important surviving Star Wars artifacts in existence. It comes from the emotional climax of The Empire Strikes Back—the scene that forever changed the saga and produced one of the most unforgettable moments in movie history. Collectors understood that they were bidding on much more than a prop. They were competing for a genuine piece of modern mythology,” he said.

A few years back, Hamill revealed that his cast and crew members remained unaware of Vader’s father scene, and learnt only after they saw the finished movie. He said that only he, director Irvin Kershner, and creator George Lucas knew the truth behind Vader’s dialogue, “You don’t know the truth, Obi-Wan killed your father,” and what it would be dubbed into later.

They had to keep the secret from the rest of the cast for over a year.