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Star Wars lightsabre fetches £133,000

Wesley Johnson,Pa,In New York
Friday 12 December 2008 11:20 GMT
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(REUTERS/Luke MacGregor)

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The lightsabre used by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars sold for more than £130,000 at an auction of Hollywood props and memorabilia.

Actor Mark Hamill used the lightsabre, which was made from an old photography flashgun, in both the original Star Wars: a New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

The weapon, sold by Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz, fetched 200,000 dollars (£133,000) at the sale by Hollywood auction house Profiles in History.

An original section of the Death Star from the first 1977 movie also fetched 20,000 dollars (£13,300) and C-3PO's helmet and robotic hands worn by British actor Anthony Daniels in the 1983 hit Star Wars: Return of the Jedi sold for 100,000 dollars (£66,444) and 30,000 dollars (£20,000) respectively.

An original set of the three Lord of the Rings books, all first editions printed in 1954 and signed by JRR Tolkien sold for 90,000 dollars (£60,000).

Bound in original red cloth, each volume included a fold out map of Middle Earth at the back and used to belong to a student of Tolkien's.

The first British edition of Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice in which Fleming wrote: "To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity" fetched 70,000 dollars (£46,530).

The book was given as a present to American Ornithologist James Bond, who died shortly after he met Fleming in 1964.

And the second draft original handwritten manuscript of You Only Live Twice, signed by Roald Dahl, fetched 80,000 dollars (£53,200).

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The full-sized animatronic "Joe" from Mighty Joe Young fetched 80,000 (£53,200).

Memorabilia from the hit Gremlins movies also fared well in the sale, with the original Gizmo, which came still attached to the animatronic wires and switches used to control him, selling for 16,000 dollars (£10,660), twice its high estimate.

Daffy fetched 8,550 dollars (£5,700) and the George Mogwai puppet sold for 10,000 dollars (£6,660).

Bad guys Mohawk Gremlin and an animatronic Brain Gremlin sold for 16,000 dollars (£10,660) and 13,000 dollars (£8,660) respectively.

Elsewhere in the sale, a flying saucer from the 1956 classic sci-fi hit Forbidden Planet, which starred comedy actor Leslie Nielsen, fetched 65,000 dollars (£43,300), almost half its high estimate of 120,000 dollars (£80,000).

Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature T-800 Terminator costume from the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, described by the auction house as an "incredible and iconic costume ensemble", fetched 20,000 dollars (£13,310).

Jim Carrey's Riddler costume from the 1995 film Batman Forever sold for 32,500 dollars (£21,655) while his cane sold for 10,000 dollars (£6,663).

Christian Bale's Batman cowl from the 2005 film Batman Begins, with two metal rings sewn into the lining in front for attachment to the Batsuit, fetched 17,000 dollars (£11,325).

And from X-men, Wolverine's black leather battle suit sold for 75,000 dollars (£50,000).

The original Santa Jack sled from the 1993 film Nightmare before Christmas fetched 55,000 dollars (£36,600).

The screen-used animatronic Little Green Man from inside the human head set in the 1997 film Men In Black sold for 35,000 dollars (£23,300) and the Pitbull hoverboard used by Biff Tannen in Back to the Future II sold for 19,000 dollars (£12,650).

And a set of Michael Jackson heads from the 1986 video Smooth Criminal fetched 9,000 dollars (£6,000).

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