Darth Vader's Empire Strikes Back lightsaber heads to auction on 12 November

Per CBS News (carrying an Associated Press report) on 9 October, Heritage Auctions will sell the lightsaber Darth Vader used in the Cloud City duel of The Empire Strikes Back at its Ultimate Star Wars Auction on 12 November. The report puts the expected price at no less than $1 million [1]. The same wire story was carried by other outlets, so we count it as one report, not several [2].

The sale is larger than one prop. Coverage says more than two dozen lightsaber props are in the lots, spanning the films and TV shows. Named examples are the Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker lightsabers from Revenge of the Sith, each expected to reach at least $10,000 [1].

The market has just been tested. Coverage of the July sale of Luke Skywalker’s Cloud City lightsaber, sold with the severed hand prop, reports a record for a screen-used Star Wars prop [3]. A search summary of that coverage gives the price as $3.75 million, but we did not open the article text to confirm the figure, so treat it as unconfirmed here.

Why it matters to a buyer or builder

Screen-used props are collector items, not products. They tell you what the originals looked like, which is useful if you want a faithful replica build. Our guide to every lightsaber by film lists which hilts appeared where, and the hilt guide explains the parts that make up a saber of this type.

For replica builders, auction listings and lot photos are among the few public sources for close detail on original parts. Heritage has not been checked here for photo availability, so look at the lot pages yourself before relying on them for measurements.

What to do

If you want to own a Vader saber, a licensed or maker replica is the realistic route; see best lightsabers for how to compare options. If you only want to follow the sale, the auction date is 12 November, and final prices will be reported afterwards. Do not treat any estimate quoted before the sale as a final value.

Sources

1. CBS News, “Lightsabers from Star Wars films, including one used in ‘I am your father’ duel, go up for auction”, 9 October 2026, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/star-wars-empire-strikes-back-lightsaber-duel-auction/
2. NY1 (AP), same story, 9 October 2026, https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/ap-top-news/2026/10/09/lightsaber-darth-vader-used-in-i-am-your-father-duel-in-empire-strikes-back-goes-up-for-auction
3. The Hollywood Reporter, “Mark Hamill’s Screen-Used Lightsaber Sells for Record Sum at Auction”, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/star-wars-lightsaber-auction-mark-hamill-luke-skywalker-1236649920/