In a warehouse in this suburban town about 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles lies a film lover’s paradise. A life-size replica of Jack Nicholson wielding a bloody ax as the villainous Jack Torrance in “The Shining” greets visitors at the door. A towering model of a blue queen species from the “Aliens” franchise is nested deeper in the facility. So is a golden, life-size replica of C-3PO, the witty android from the “Star Wars” saga.
The cavernous space is the U.S. headquarters of Propstore, a movie memorabilia and collectibles company, and on a recent Friday afternoon the energy pulsated inside. Employees scurried about, preparing items to be shipped down the highway and into the city for an auction starting on Thursday (and lasting through Saturday), where some of cinema’s most recognizable memorabilia, including Darth Vader’s lightsaber and Indiana Jones’s whip, will be on the block. Some items are expected to sell for millions, a hefty price tag that fans might justify to adorn their mantels with a piece of film history.
Darth Vader’s Lightsaber
Estimate: $1 million to $3 million
The hilt of the world’s most recognizable red-laser sword shows noticeable wear and tear, including scratches, dents and chipping paint, but that could make it all the more attractive to collectors. Those imperfections presumably came from such memorable battles as the one in which Lord Vader slices off the hand of his son, Luke Skywalker.
This lightsaber was used in the final two movies of George Lucas’s original trilogy, “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983).
Indiana Jones’s Whip
Estimate: $250,000 to $500,000
If Darth Vader’s lightsaber approaches the pinnacle of galactic weaponry, Indiana Jones’s whip could well be its terrestrial analog. Propstore’s auction includes the eight-foot strip of leather that the rebel archaeologist uses in the franchise’s third installment, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989). Jones, as played by Harrison Ford, employs the whip to outmaneuver Nazis and capture the Holy Grail.
The whip has been held in a coil by small silver pins. It comes with Jones’s signature leather belt and holster.
Neuralyzer From ‘Men in Black’
Estimate: $75,000 to $150,000
A small, silver rodlike device — an “electro biomechanical neural transmitting zero-synapse repositioner,” otherwise known as a neuralyzer — used by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the 1997 film “Men in Black” allows MiB agents to scrub out the memories of those who might otherwise blow their cover. This one is still functional, at least in terms of its flashing lights. Fiddle with some wires and a power box, and three circular dials flash red and green, and a digital display shows the year.
Flamethrower From ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’
Estimate: $20,000 to $40,000
Leonardo DiCaprio has said that in depicting the fictional, down-on-his-luck actor Rick Dalton in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” he occasionally brandished a working flamethrower. The one up for sale this week, still nicknamed Betty, is made of dense foam rubber.
Michael Keaton’s Batsuit
Estimate: $250,000 to $500,000
Before more technologically advanced takes of Batman’s suit appeared in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, Michael Keaton donned a streamlined black-and-yellow Batsuit in Tim Burton’s “Batman,” from 1989. The suit’s cape is made of latex, its sinewy armor of latex and foam, and the rest of the body of elastane. A gray double-breasted suit that Keaton wore when he appeared as Batman’s true identity, Bruce Wayne, is also up for auction. It is estimated to be worth between $12,000 and $24,000.
Emmanuel Morgan reports on sports, pop culture and entertainment.
The post May the Bid Be With You: Darth Vader’s Lightsaber Heads to Auction appeared first on New York Times.
