Posted on 09/12/2022 7:53:36 AM PDT by marktwain
The prop used by the character Han Solo in the original Star Wars movie was lost for decades. It was recently rediscovered, re-assembled, and sold at auction at Rock Island Auction Company. The price, as bid, was $900,00. With the buyer’s fees, the total amount came to $1,057,500.
The following video shows the bidding at Rock Island Auction Company. It is fast. It is pricey. It only lasts two minutes and 59 seconds.
Interested bidders from all over the world were willing to pay a lot of money for this iconic movie prop.
The history of the prop is fascinating. Director George Lucas did not want flash and shiny. He wanted something described as a “used future,” meaning props and devices in the movie should appear to show wear and appear cheap. The original Star Wars did not have a big budget. The video below tells the entire story of how the prop was made from a surplus Mauser 96 pistol. They were still cheap in England in 1976. A scope mount, flash hider, and other items were added to create a unique DL-44 Heavy Blaster.
While the Solo DL-44 Heavy Blaster movie prop netted over a million dollars, it is only the tenth highest item that has been sold through Rock Island Auctions.
The top price was for a cased pair of Remington New Army model revolvers owned by President Grant. They are percussion revolvers and sold for $5,170,000 dollars. They were presented to General Ulysses S. Grant when he was commander of the Union Armies before becoming president.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
It was created from a 96 Mauser pistol.
Not sold to Alec Baldwin, please?
I’ve never seen the movie, so I’m not familiar w/ this prop. I did like when Triumph the Insult Comic Dog made fun of the weirdos standing in line to watch one of the 20 sequels/prequels though.
Han Solo fired first.
i like the broom handle mauser... a masterpiece of manufacturing.
Could have gotten a $25 gift card at a gun “buyback”. 🤔👍
I never realized the future would be so steampunk.
Or was it the past? Can’t remember.
the perfect pew pew weapon
Does it still shoot?
And it would be banned as an “assault weapon” under the House bill, because it is a pistol with a mag well that isn’t in the grip.
Always thought it was a beautiful pistol.
Of course, in the Star Wars universe light traveled no faster than a major league pitcher could throw a baseball. I do give the Jedi Knights credit; they’d be a Murderer’s Row in major league baseball!
The original Murderer’s Row for those who don’t understand the analogy:
The 1927 Yankee team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel, and Tony Lazzeri.
Light traveled that slow and still Imperial Storm Troopers couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn even if they were standing next to it!
Yeah. A magazine. Never got that. Filled with what? It’s a small particle beam weapon. Filled with batteries?
I gather from the article that my $12.50 bid didn’t do the trick.
That's another thing I don't get. They constantly refer to "light speed". At the end of "The Empire Strikes Back" we get a wonderful view of a galaxy...from far outside said galaxy...from Luke's window in sickbay. If that galaxy is ANYWHERE close to the size of our Milky Way, they look to be about 100,000 light years or more outside that galaxy. At light speed, they'd have been in transit for 100,000 years. Not something like the 2 hour length of the film. Light speed is very slow when dealing with intergalactic distances.
Did Alex Baldwin buy it? asking for a friend?
lex
Never got a good look at it, but you’re right.
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