It may sound like the auctioneer was Doctor Evil, but when the object in auction is an original Darth Vader helmet from The Empire Strikes Back then a runaway final figure of £936,000 is hardly surprising.
The fibreglass and foam head covering from The Empire Strikes Back was expected to sell for £365,000, but a bidding frenzy saw it fetch three times that.
An unknown fan forked out £731,000 for the item worn by British actor David Prowse in the second Star Wars film in 1980, when Darth Vader reveals he is Luke Skywalker’s dad.
Other fees took the total bill to £936,000.
The combined helmet and mask were the star attractions of nearly 1,000 lots sold by auctioneers Profiles in History in Los Angeles on Thursday.
In total, £8million worth of costumes and props went under the hammer.
Congrats to the purchaser, and what an amazing piece to have in any collection.
