BOSTON — Die-hard Star Wars fans will need to rely on more than the force if they want to bid on an R2-D2 droid that appeared in several of the franchise’s movies.
A couple million dollars might also help.
Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, Darth Vader’s helmet and shoulder armor, as well as imperial and rebel weapons are on the block, but the centerpiece is no doubt the squat blue, white and silver droid famous for communicating in a series of electronic beeps and squeaks.
Representing “the pinnacle of the Star Wars collecting universe,” it could fetch up to $2 million in the June 26-28 auction, according to Calabasas, California-based auction house Profiles in History. The bidding is being handled by Boston-based online auction marketplace Invaluable.
The 43-inch-tall R2 unit for sale is sort of a Frankenstein’s monster of droids, pieced together over several years from different original components used in the first five Star Wars movies. There is no known complete original R2 unit, according to the auction house.
For the sequels after the original “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1977, production designers retired old and worn-out parts and added features to save time and meet production deadlines.
Fans outbid for the droid may want to take a shot at landing the lightsaber, expected to sell for anywhere from $150,000 to $250,000.
– From news service reports
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