Han Solo’s iconic blaster from Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi has just sold for over $500,000 at auction. The real prop, touched by the sacred hands of Harrison Ford himself, sold at auction at the Planet Hollywood Casino-Resort in Las Vegas on Saturday along with a few other classic items from various films.

Star Wars is one of the most successful franchises in film history, jockeying for the top spot with the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 1983, George Lucas graced his devoted fans with the conclusive third installment of his original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi. The film introduced us to a host of new weird and wonderful characters from the malevolent gangster Jabba the Hutt and his creepy entourage of monsters to the adorable Ewoks on the mysterious Forest Moon of Endor. Other quintessential characters such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewie and of course Han Solo returned for another adventure, fighting the evil Emperor and his puppet Darth Vader.

As reported by the Associated Press, Han Solo’s blaster prop from the movie sold along with other items from the personal collection of Art Director James L. Schoppe. The item, mostly made of wood, was bought for a whopping $550,000 by American news company turned museum chain Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, the owners of Luke Skywalker’s official lightsaber prop from Star Wars Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980). When the auction for Han Solo’s Return of the Jedi blaster was announced, it was expected to sell for as much as $500,000, so the actual sale surpasses those estimates.

According to an article published Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, the movie prop’s design is based on a German Mauser C96, a weapon widely used during World War II with an added futuristic extension to the end of the barrel and a large scope on top. In their extensive collection of odd memorabilia, Ripley’s also owns an original R2 unit, C3PO’s head and a model of the illustrious Millennium Falcon made of matchsticks.

Although Han’s blaster was the star of the show, some 40 items previously owned by Schoppe were sold at the same auction hosted by Julien’s Auctions of California including an Ewok axe prop which went for $11,000 and an Imperial Scout Trooper’s blaster, selling for a huge $90,000.

The event wasn’t just for Star Wars memorabilia, though. Schoppe also parted with a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe, the profits of which benefitted the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation to the tune of $50,000 and a Superman suit worn by Christopher Reeve on the set of Superman III that sold for a colossal $200,000, beating its original estimate.

The sale still hasn’t come close to the all-time record number still held by California auction house Profiles in History, which sold an R2D2 unit last year at auction for an astonishing $2.75 million. As the original Star Wars trilogy increases in age, the props and memorabilia from the films continue to increase exponentially in value. Future auctions may sell more props for some astounding figures.

Next: Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Original Lightsaber Is Up For Auction

Source: Associated Press, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

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