Star Wars: Han Solo’s blaster sells at auction for $1m

Prop had been expected to sell for less than half that amount

Tuesday 30 August 2022 10:12 BST

Star Wars: A New Hope medal scene

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A prop gun wielded by Harrison Ford in the original Star Wars has sold at auction for over $1m.

The fake weapon went on sale at an auction for collector firearms held by The Rock Island Auction Company last weekend.

In 1977’s Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope), the blaster pistol belongs to rogueish space smuggler Han Solo, played by Ford.

According to TMZ, the item fetched a price of $1,057,500 (£900,700), having originally been estimated to sell for between $300,000 (£255,500) and $500,000 (£425,800).

The blaster – a Mauser pistol that had been modified and deactivated so it was only able to shoot blanks – is the only surviving object of three identical props used for the film.