HAN Solo’s blaster from the first Star Wars film has sold for £900,000 — the most paid for a prop weapon at auction.
The BlasTech DL-44 Heavy Blaster, wielded in 1977 by Harrison Ford, had been expected to sell for £400,000.
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It beat the record of £457,000 paid in 2021 for a Star Trek phaser rifle.
The 11in blaster, rented for the film from a UK prop shop, sold in Chicago.
Joel Kolander, specialist at Rock Island Auction, said: “The fine arms marketplace has been enjoying the same recent upswing that many fields of collecting are also seeing, but fine arms collecting has been seeing it for well over a decade.
“It was a pleasure to work with Bapty & Co in bringing this pop culture icon to auction.
“People’s love for Star Wars brought the pistol worldwide attention and the result was a very attractive realised price.”
A spokesperson for Guinness World Records confirmed the Harrison Ford blaster has ‘made its way into the record books as the most expensive prop gun sold at auction. ‘
Star Wars: A New Hope, also starring Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, was the highest grossing film of all time during its first run, making $550million at the box office.
CHEWIE SALE BATTLE
By Paul Sims
THE widow of Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew is battling to stop an auction of his treasured mementoes next week.
The 21 lots were found in the attic of their former home in Keighley, West Yorks.
Angie Mayhew said a knee injury meant 7ft 3in Peter, could not retrieve scripts and other belongings when they moved to Texas in 2000.
Auction boss Angus Ashworth said: “We are trying to meet with all sides to resolve this issue.”
