My favorite hilt that I own would have to be the first one I ever purchased. In 1996 I was lucky enough that my mom took me to Disney World. While we were in the Magic Kingdom traveling through Tomorrowland, I came across a shop that was selling a lot of Star Wars toys/games/memorabilia. As I was about to buy a Star Wars film cell, I saw it, behind the counter up on a shelf, an Icons Authentic Replicas Luke Skywalker Lightsaber from ANH. I froze in place as I stared at an object that has been a part of my favorite franchise since I was five.
I looked at my mom and asked if I could spend my summer lawnmower money on that? She said it was my choice and then I asked the sales woman behind the counter to purchase it. The woman looked at my mother and said, "Do you know how much that costs?" And my mom replied that it was her sons hard earned money and it was his choice. Since there were two of them up there, I had to be OCD and inspect them to get the better one (Good thing I did because one of them had a cracked display case). I took it back to the hotel and did everything in my power to not take it out and run around with it, making lightsaber sound effects.
Now if that weren't the best part, traveling back to NY going through the Orlando airport was the highlight. I wouldn't check the Icons box that contained the lightsaber and display case so I wanted to carry it on. Of course it had to go through security and I sent it through the X-ray machine where multiple airport security stopped the package and inspected it thoroughly. When they couldn't figure out what it was, they pulled my mother and I aside and made me take it out of the box and show them what it was. I started to get a little nervous, not because of the security, but because I had to take it out and didn't want them to ruin it. I was 14 years old trying to explain to a bunch of security guards what a lightsaber was and that it was a collectible and not a real weapon. Then I asked them all, "haven't any of you seen Star Wars?" All I got in response was a bunch of blank looks and a nod to package it back up and move along.
I am lucky to have a nice collection of MR sabers both hilts and fx collectibles but the one that stands out to this day is my Icons Luke Skywalker lightsaber. It started me on the path that I am on as a collector. To my knowledge, it was one of the first licensed replicas to be produced by a third party company. Because of where I purchased it and how, along with my mom's blessing, this remains my favorite hilt that I own. It's priceless.