Star Wars feveris running at an all-time high, withStar Wars: The Force Awakensarriving in theaters this Christmas. And while average, everyday fans have to settle for action figures and branded soda cans to celebrate their love for the franchise, the rich actually get to own a piece ofStar Wars history. One such lucky fan with a very well-endowed wallet snatched up a piece of memorabilia that may be the most coveted keepsake in the wholegalaxy.
Yes, Princess Leia’s iconic slave bikini costume fromStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jediwent on the auction block this week, and it fetched a pretty penny. Worn byCarrie Fisherin the 1983 trilogy ending sequel, the skimpy metal and clothe bathing suit went for $96,000. It is the same outfit the actress can be seen wearing during the opening Jabba the Hutt barge escape scene, where Leia chocks Jabba to death.
This slave bikini was the centerpiece of the latest Profiles in History auction, which ran from Tuesday through Thursday. It was just one of 50 items that were included in the auction. Not all of them from Star Wars. Senior consigner relations for Profiles in History had this to say about the is particular piece selling at auction.
“There are only a handful of people that have both the wheel and the deep pockets to buy it,”
Surprisingly, the slave outfit wasn’t the biggest seller in this movie memorabilia auction. That distinction went to a model of the blockade runner spaceship seen in the opening moments ofStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. It sold for a record $450,000. That was almost double the estimate it was expected to bring in. The intricate model, which is only 16 inches long, has become the most expensive piece ofStar Wars memorabiliaever sold at auction. The ship came from the personal collection of late visual effects Oscar-winner Grant McCune. Early estimates only saw it pulling in between $200,000 and $300,000.
Star Wars wasn’t the only franchise getting in on the big bids. George Reeves’s costume worn in the Adventures of Superman between the years 1953 and 1954 also fetched more than Leia’s slave outfit, pulling $216,000. AndHarrison Ford’s original whip from the Indiana Jones movies went for $204,000. Also on the auction block were his fedora, leather jacket, and shirt, each of which pulled in more than $72,000. Though, it wasn’t said which movies these particular costumes appeared in. The names of the winning bidders have not been released (so put back those bolt cutters and that ladder, Larry!).
