This lot will be sold on Wednesday 2nd December (day 2 of the auction.) Lots 464-913 will be sold on day 2 (lots 1-463 will be sold on day 1). The auction will begin at 2:00 pm GMT. Lots are sold sequentially so there is no preset ending time. A live streaming broadcast of the auction will be available on auction days.

Darth Vader's (Hayden Christensen) hero lightsaber from George Lucas' Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Anakin Skywalker was renamed Darth Vader when he turned to the dark side, and took his iconic armoured form after sustaining mortal injuries during a duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on the fiery planet of Mustafar. Kenobi ultimately took his weapon, forcing Vader to create a new lightsaber hilt design, which he would use throughout his remaining days as a Sith Lord.

This particular lightsaber did not appear on-screen in the final cut of the film, as it was clipped too far around on Vader's belt, and therefore hidden beneath parts of his costume. However, it was seen in numerous publicity stills and promotional photos. The lightsaber was gifted by the film's producers to celebrated stunt coordinator and sword master Nick Gillard on completion of the prequel trilogy.

The main body of the lightsaber is constructed from turned aluminium and is decorated with several detailed components made from resin, rubber and metal. Some sections of the hilt display a mirror-silver chrome finish. Seven black rubber strips form the handgrip and a round power indicator is situated on one side. Located at the centre of the hilt is a Sith crystal chamber, which features a silver-coloured strip decorated with a black geometric design and a protruding activator switch. The two blade power adjusters are painted in shades of metallic faux bronze and the top of the hilt features a bevelled emitter shroud.

Minor signs of wear from production use are present on the lightsaber, including light surface scratching on the chrome finish, light paint wear on the power adjusters and visible remnants of glue around the edges of some of the rubber strips. It is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Gillard and a copy of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary. Dimensions: 28.5 cm x 5.5 cm x 5 cm (11 1/4" x 2 1/4" x 2")

Literature

An image of Darth Vader's lightsaber can be seen on page 63 of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, published by Dorling Kindersley.

Estimate: £40,000 - 80,000 M