|
The lightsaber was due to be sold by Profiles
in History at a Los Angeles auction on Thursday with an
estimated sale price of up to $200,000.
It was described as having been one of five designed by
Oscar-winning "Star Wars" set decorator Roger Christian and used
by actor Mark Hamill's young Skywalker character in the 1977
film "Star Wars: A New Hope." Christian had supplied a letter of
authenticity to accompany the sale.
"In light of conflicting information regarding the origin of
Roger Christian’s Lightsaber, Profiles in History has decided to
withdraw the piece from this auction until Mr. Christian can
clear up the inconsistencies that have been brought to our
attention," Profiles in History chief executive Joe Maddalena
said in a statement.
Christian did not immediately respond to a request for comment,
and Profiles in History declined to comment further.
Some Hollywood memorabilia and "Star Wars" fans had raised
questions about whether the lightsaber was used by Hamill in the
film, or might be a replica or prototype.
California-based Jason DeBord, the editor-in-chief of the
originalprop.com blog, examined postings by Christian on social
media websites in 2015 and 2016 in which the artist wrote about
making recent exact prototypes of the 1977 Skywalker lightsaber.
"Star Wars" movies have made billions of dollars at the box
office worldwide, and props and costumes from the sci-fi saga
can fetch sky-high prices at auction.
A different lightsaber used by Skywalker fetched $450,000 at
auction last year.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Bill Tarrantand Leslie
Adler)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
