The lightsaber prop used by Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies has sold for 3.65 million dollars (£2.7 million) at auction.
The piece, used in battles in both The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return Of The Jedi (1983), went under the hammer along with more than 400 other lots of props and costumes used in film and TV in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The lightsaber is the only one with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction, and now holds the title of the highest-priced Star Wars item ever to go under the hammer.
Other notable sales on day one of Propstore's Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction include the eight-foot bullwhip, belt and whip holster handled by Harrison Ford as the title character in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989), which fetched 485,100 dollars (£360,260).
The Spider-Man suit worn by Tobey Maguire in the 2002 superhero film went for 289,800 dollars (£215,190), while Sir Patrick Stewart's Ressikan Flute as played by Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series (1987–1994) and a costume continuity script was sold for 403,200 dollars (£299,400).
