Luke Skywalker\u2019s original lightsaber, the mesmerizing movie-prop weapon that eventually saved the galaxy from evil, has been bought at a Hollywood auction for $450,000 by Ripley\u2019s Entertainment. Skywalker\u2019s droid buddy, little R2D2, went to another buyer for an enormous $2.76 million. The sale broke the record for any movie memorabilia ever auctioned, according to the Profiles in History auction house. The lightsaber, used in the ground-breaking 1977 \u201cStar Wars\u201d film and 1980\u2032s \u201cThe Empire Strikes Back,\u201d was originally owned by Gary Kurtz, a producer on both films. The sci-fi weapon was created using a 1930\u2019s-era Graflex flashgun camera, according to the auction house. \u201cFor us, that\u2019s a cool \u2018believe it or not\u2019 recycled art before anybody was calling it that,\u201d Ripley\u2019s exhibits vice president Edward Meyer told The Orlando Sentinel. Ripley\u2019s headquartered in Orlando, Florida and runs several Believe It Or Not! museums and events.\t\t<\/p>\n
\tThe auction house provided no information on the droid lover who scooped up R2-D2 on Wednesday. The 43-inch-tall R2-D2 was compiled of parts used during filming of the original \u201cStar Wars\u201d trilogy but the lightsaber is THE \u201cStar Wars\u201d icon. Luke relied on his trusty lightsaber, which Obi-Wan Kenobi characterized as an \u201celegant weapon\u201d from a \u201cmore civilized age\u201d before the dark times. In his final confrontation with the man he eventually discovers is his father, Darth Vadar, was when Star War fans really got to see the special effects of the lightsabers. Fans across the nation earlier this year also paid homage to the late Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia, with lightsaber vigils. Ripley\u2019s also own other quirky \u201cStar Wars\u201d items, including hair from a Chewbacca costume and a Pieta-style sculpture of Chewbacca holding Han Solo. It has also obtained a 15-foot version of the film series\u2019 Millennium Falcon ship, created from nearly a million matchsticks, which will be a centerpiece of Ripley\u2019s \u201cStar Wars\u201d display. The \u201cStar Wars\u201d artifacts were among a number of eclectic Profiles in History auction offerings, which just for an FYI also included a 50th birthday party invitation President Donald Trump sent to actress Loni Anderson … in a galaxy far, far away. LOL!\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ripley\u2019s Museum Is The Perfect Place For This Star Wars Lightsaber Memorabilia! <\/b> \t\t<\/p>\nSusan Z\u2019s Conclusion:\t<\/h2>\n
\tMy sense about the bidding on the Star Wars Lightsaber was that it got intense and Ripley\u2019s Museum was determined they were going to own it. I believe they would have owned R2D2 also if another private buyer with deep pockets was just as determined.\n<\/p>\n
\t The Sun:\t<\/b> Inverted (Upside Down)
\nThis is about everything turning out ok, regardless. Since pulled inverted, I would say everyone got what they came for but possibly at a little steeper price than they were expecting.<\/p>\n
\t \tTwo of Wands:<\/b> Inverted
\nThis is a burden being carried. Since pulled inverted, I feel whomever released the Star Wars memorabilia feels better not owning them. Almost as though the responsibility was not wanted anymore.<\/p>\n
The Empress:\t \t<\/b>
\nThis is a female energy that usually gets what they want in life and loves material things. This could represent your unknown buyer of R2D2.\n\t<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Believe It Or Not: Luke Skywalker\u2019s Lightsaber Was Bought By Ripley\u2019s For $450,000 Luke Skywalker\u2019s original lightsaber, the mesmerizing movie-prop weapon that eventually saved the galaxy from evil, has been bought at a Hollywood auction for $450,000 by Ripley\u2019s Entertainment. Skywalker\u2019s droid buddy, little R2D2, went to another buyer for an enormous $2.76 million. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1284,1286,1287,1285],"class_list":{"0":"post-6865","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celeb-news","8":"tag-lightsaber","9":"tag-luke-skywalker","10":"tag-ripleys-believe-it-or-not","11":"tag-star-wars"},"yoast_head":"\n