How much did original Han Solo ‘blaster’ in Star Wars sell for?
Harrison Ford used the weapon in ‘Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope’ and it was the only one remaining of the three props used in the classic film.
Harrison Ford has his place in film history thanks to many roles, but without a doubt there is one for which he will always be recognized: that of Han Solo in the Star Wars saga. The actor played one of the most prominent characters, a smuggler who ends up being a key part of the Rebel Alliance against the Empire. One of his most trusted tools when fighting his battles was his blaster, a prop that has been sold at auction for more than a million dollars.
Han Solo’s $1 million blaster
As published by the US portal TMZ, The Rock Island Auction Company organized an event for firearms lovers and collectors last weekend. The company has organized similar auctions in the past with other cinematographic jewels such as the weapon that John Wayne used in the 1969 classic True Grit and some pistols of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States.
The so-called DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol fetched a staggering $1,057,500 at auction, an amount very far from the estimates that the experts had placed the sale at, between $300,000 and $500,000. And this weapon is the exact one that Ford used in the movie, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, with it being the only one of the three props created for the set to have survived.
The exclusive item was originally a Mauser from the German manufacturer, and it was George Lucas’ team that turned it into a blanks-only weapon.
The Star Wars universe has been one of the most successful sagas in the history of cinema and is still more alive than ever with new releases and a lot of fabric still to be cut. In fact, the series about Obi-Wan Kenobi was recently released and in September ‘Star Wars: Andor’ will be out. For next year, fans will have even more material for a most profitable story.