Star Wars lightsaber pulled from auction over authenticity issue

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/11/star-wars-lightsaber-pulled-auction-authenticity-luke-skywalker

Version 1 of 2.

A lightsaber described as having been used by Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars film has been withdrawn from sale by a Californian auction house after fans raised concerns about its authenticity.

Every Star Wars film – ranked!

The item was due to be sold by Profiles in History in Los Angeles on Thursday with an estimated sale price of up to $200,000 (£160,000).

It was described as having been one of five lightsabers designed by Roger Christian, the Oscar-winning Star Wars set decorator, and used by Mark Hamill in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Christian had supplied a letter of authenticity to accompany the sale.

“In light of conflicting information regarding the origin of Roger Christian’s lightsaber, Profiles in History has decided to withdraw the piece from this auction until Mr Christian can clear up the inconsistencies that have been brought to our attention,” the chief executive of the auction house, Joe Maddalena, said.

Christian did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fans of the sci-fi franchise had questioned whether the lightsaber was a replica or prototype.

Jason DeBord, the editor-in-chief of the originalprop.com blog, examined posts by Christian on social media in 2015 and 2016 in which he discussed making recent prototypes of the 1977 Skywalker lightsaber.

Star Wars props and costumes can fetch high prices at auction. A different lightsaber used by Skywalker was sold for $450,000 last year.