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 ...
“A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...”
I think their galaxy is the size of a couple of city blocks!
cool gun but not for one million $
“Light speed is very slow when dealing with intergalactic distances.”
Irrelevant. They had a hyperdrive system.
Totally worth it.
I’m a (semi retired) fighter pilot bc of Han Solo.
Pretty sure this is something along the lines of "suspension of disbelief."
A blaster is a particle weapon. Not a laser. Get with it!
Weak spiral arms, looks more like a globular cluster galaxy.
Particles you can smash with a glowing baseball bat.
True. I also cut the Kessel Run down to less than 12 parsecs by getting far too close to those black holes. Shortened the distance by 8.
Han always took credit. Pissed me off.
Well I used a crossbow!
Like fandom and “love” of celebrities, it’s akin to idol worship.
Basically bullet-like charges. You see various people loading them in the movies and shows.
Probably all due to the Stormtroopers lack of training in marksmanship.
Only if you have the power of the Schwartz.
No, it’s pure escapism and fun.
I grew up in Gush during the Intifada. Star Wars was what I watched in a bomb shelter as missiles dropped on my school.
Mel Brooks is a marketing Genius !
I try to keep my Schwartz fully powered at all times!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.