Rare Star Wars poster to be auctioned in aid of Ukraine

Artwork is expected to sell for around £5,000

A rare Star Wars poster is set to be sold at auction, with the proceeds going towards helping those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

The artwork, which was produced for the first Star Wars film in 1977 by the brothers Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, depicts characters Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. It is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £7,000.

The poster only received a limited release and was later replaced by a more commercial version.

Described as “one of the rarest posters ever”, the owners are giving fans a chance to buy the poster by setting its reserve at just £10.

All proceeds from the auction sale will be given to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s (DEC) humanitarian appeal, which is providing aid to refugees fleeing Ukraine amid the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.

Prop Store chairman Stephen Lane said: “With bidding starting from £10, fans with all budgets can bid on this amazing charity piece and hopefully take home a rare and coveted piece of movie memorabilia at the same time – we expect to see some excellent results for such an urgent appeal.”

The poster will be auctioned on 24 March by Prop Store along with over 500 other items including art work for films including The Warriors, Halloween and Kill Bill.

A number of other organisations have been fundraising for those affected by the conflict in Ukraine including Everton Football Club who donated £250,000 to the same charity.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.