"Star Wars" has always been hot with collectors, but there's undoubtedly a resurgence after "The Force Awakens" came out. Anything from the movies will fetch a pretty price, but more so when the item is from one of the major characters. If you're particularly into Luke Skywalker, you're in luck! The DL-44 blaster he used in "The Empire Strikes Back" just went up for auction.
The same model used by Han Solo, the blaster is based off a design followed by the German-issued Mauser C96 pistol. It is custom-made, cast from the original prop used for filming the first "Star Wars" movie. The blaster still has its original scope and flash suppressor, but does not fire. Not that it ever did, as it was a lighter model used for scenes in the movie that didn't require any shooting.
Made with brown, silver and gray fiberglass, it measures 12 inches long and was given as a gift to the original owner by Mark Hamill himself during an episode of the BBC Television children's show "Jim'll Fix It."
Interested parties should note that the blaster does have some wear (being used in filming a movie can do that), including one section glued, but overall condition is still very good. In fact, the item is in the same condition today as it was used while filming Star Wars in 1980, according to the auction listing.
And as proof of authenticity, the blaster comes with an assurance from Sotheby's for a sale made back in March 18, 1998.
The starting bid for Luke Skywalker's DL-44 is $200,000. The auction ends Jan. 28.
Any item from the Star Wars movies definitely deserves a spot in the collection of any die-hard fan, but any merchandise to be remotely related to the franchise will have collectible value. Just the toys from "The Force Awakens" alone can drive any collector crazy and there are tons more of merchandise out there for every fan, whether you just got sucked in by the hype surrounding the latest movie or you've been tending to your Princess (now General) Leia shrine for decades.
