A Light-Up C-3PO Head From Empire Strikes Back Sold at Auction for Just Over $1 Million

Entertainment memorabilia trader Propstore sold a light-up C-3PO caput for conscionable implicit $1 cardinal astatine their outpouring unrecorded auction this week. It’s truthful acold the biggest merchantability of the auction, which concludes today, March 27.

Sold for $1,058,400, the C-3PO caput was worn by histrion Anthony Daniels successful Star Wars: Episode V -- The Empire Strikes Back. This sum surpasses the $843,051 paid for a C-3PO caput from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope successful 2023.

“This is believed to beryllium the lone archetypal C-3PO caput from (Empire Strikes Back) successful the collector's market,” according to Propstore’s auction entry.

Photo credit: Propstore

“The costume's illuminating ‘photoreceptor’ eyes were designed successful specified a mode arsenic to support them from blinding Daniels erstwhile illuminated; a achromatic worldly was installed down the lights to shield the actor's eyes, leaving lone tiny ports done which helium could see. The close oculus retains its archetypal wiring, whereas the near eye's wiring has been replaced. The archetypal powerfulness connector has besides been replaced, but is included successful the lot. The wiring present connects to a much precocious installed artillery battalion and power connected a custom-made show stand.”

As The Hollywood Reporter points out, this isn’t the archetypal Star Wars point to fetch specified a immense sum astatine a Propstore auction. Darth Vader’s lightsaber sold for $3.654 cardinal successful September 2025, portion a mislaid X-Wing from A New Hope sold for $3.135 cardinal successful October 2023.

Propstore’s outpouring unrecorded auction includes memorabilia from Batman Begins, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jaws, The Terminator, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Top Gun, and Gladiator to sanction a few.

However, the astir talked astir auction point extracurricular of the C-3PO caput is undoubtedly the “butt birth” rhino from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which sold for $59,850.

For much Star Wars coverage, ticker this archetypal clip from Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, larn astir John Boyega’s openness to returning to the franchise, and find retired wherefore the puppeteer down BB-8 thinks Star Wars: Episodes VII-IX volition go arsenic beloved arsenic the prequels successful 10 years time.