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A screen-matched light-up C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) head from Richard Marquand's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

C-3PO voiced the first on-screen dialogue in A New Hope and is one of the only characters to appear in all 9 films of the Star Wars saga, making Threepio one of the most memorable robots in cinema history. In Return of the Jedi, Threepio's role grew to arguably his most prominent in the entire series, with him playing a key part in delivering a message on behalf of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to Jabba the Hutt; working for Jabba as a translator; joining the Rebel strike force to the Forest Moon of Endor; and being perceived as a God by the Ewoks and convincing them to join the Battle of Endor.

This head screen-matches to several of the scenes on Endor, including when Luke reunites with the group after the speeder bike chase and as the Rebels scout out and approach the shield reactor. It matches through distinct markings on the right side of C-3PO's outer perimeter ring. Daniels has also frequently posed with the head for publicity purposes.

This is the only complete C-3PO head from Return of the Jedi currently in a private collection and it is offered directly from Anthony Daniels.

Daniels, who played C-3PO within the costume as well as providing the voice, is the only actor to have featured in all Star Wars theatrical releases. C-3PO's enduring popularity is a testament to Daniels' fantastic performances. The golden robot was originally designed by legendary concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, and Daniels instantly fell in love with the character when he saw McQuarrie's concepts. The initial designs were based on Walter Schulze-Mittendorff's Maschinenmensch "Maria" robot from Fritz Lang's 1927 German expressionist sci-fi film Metropolis. After being cast as Threepio, Daniels went through a lengthy process of moulding his face, torso and limbs to create the costume. Several different versions of the head were sculpted by Liz Moore, and George Lucas chose the now-iconic design.

The costume head is made of very thin fibreglass to be as close-fitting and lightweight as possible, and it comprised of three major components: a backplate, faceplate (with installed eyes), and a neck-ring which are fixed together with two neck-bolts and the forehead antennae. It differs in its construction from the ones originally built for A New Hope, including the one which Propstore sold in its UK Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction in November, 2023. Where the head from A New Hope features aluminum details that were machined and individually-installed at the back of the head and the mouth of the faceplate, these components are cast into the fiberglass on this head. The fittings that hold the two halves of the head together were also updated as the films progressed; the neck bolts and forehead antennae were threaded connectors on the Episode IV pieces, whereas this head features the more advanced quarter-turn versions.

The costume's illuminating "photoreceptor" eyes were designed in such a way as to keep them from blinding Daniels when illuminated; a black material was installed behind the lights to shield Daniels' eyes, leaving only small ports through which the performer could see. The eyes retain their original wiring, which is taped to the inside of the head, and they connect to a more recently installed battery pack and switch.

The interior of the backplate has "5" handwritten in black marker pen.

The whole head has been intentionally distressed and tarnished to give the character a very weathered look, worlds away from the clean, golden sheen which the character appeared with during the medal ceremony at the end of Episode IV.

The costume head's eyes illuminate when an internal switch is activated, and it is presented on a custom-made display stand.

Threepio stands as one of the most recognizable cinema designs of all time. This screen-matched C-3PO costume head, with direct provenance to the production, is one of the most significant artifacts from the original Star Wars film to come to market. Dimensions: 9.75" x 7.75" x 12.5" (25 cm x 20 cm x 32 cm)

Contains electronics; see electronics notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Special shipping required; see special shipping notice in the Buyer's Guide.



This lot comes from the personal collection of actor Anthony Daniels. Daniels plays loyal protocol droid C-3PO in the Star Wars saga. He first appeared in the role in 1977 and is the only actor to appear in all Star Wars feature films to date.


See PDF below for a comprehensive study of this and other lots in the Anthony Daniels collection.

Estimate: $500,000 - 1,000,000







View all lots from STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)

View all lots from Anthony Daniels Collection

View all lots from STAR WARS - ALL ITEMS