There are Star Wars collections—and then there are collections from people who are Star Wars. A very rare trove of franchise memorabilia is now up for sale at Los Angeles auction house called Propstore, and it’s direct from the collection of Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO for over 40 years.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Daniels admitted he felt some hesitation about parting with certain items, especially C-3PO’s gleaming head. “I have lived with these items for 50 years some of them, and I have very mixed feelings [about letting them go],” he told the trade. Ultimately, though, the urge to purge—and to share his legacy with Star Wars fans far and wide—won out. “I had all this stuff, almost all of it was in cupboards, drawers, and in attics. Nobody was looking at it, nobody was treasuring it, if you will. And it was too good to throw away.” And apparently, this is his entire collection, aside from two items: “a statue from Lucasfilm congratulating him for 40 years of service” and “an 18-inch C-3PO statue made out of Legos.”
We’ve looked through the Propstore catalog and selected 10 items to highlight, both for their Star Wars value and sheer nostalgia power—and a few head-scratchers that stood out. If you’re interested in bidding, all the details and many more lots can be found on Propstore’s website. Most are on the block through March 12-14; on every slide, we’ve linked to the individual pages for each item.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
C-3PO Head From Return of the Jedi (1983)
“This is the only complete C-3PO head from Return of the Jedi currently in a private collection and it is offered directly from Anthony Daniels,” according to the auction site. “The costume head is made of very thin fibreglass to be as close-fitting and lightweight as possible, and it comprised of three major components: a backplate, faceplate (with installed eyes), and a neck-ring which are fixed together with two neck-bolts and the forehead antennae.” It’s estimated to fetch up to $US1,000,000, though it’s probably better termed “priceless”— you can follow the auction here.
C-3PO’s Hands FromThe Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Not every character emerged from The Empire Strikes Back with both hands intact, but a certain protocol droid did. These are estimated to go for up to $US60,000; follow along here.
A New Hope (1977) Script
The cover art alone would be groovy to own, but with this lot you’ll get “Anthony Daniels’ personal hand-annotated fourth draft script,” credited to George Lucas and dated January 1, 1976. “The title page features the title ‘Star Wars’ and a second title page features the longer title ‘The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as taken from the “Journal of the Whills’” (head to the auction site to eyeball that bit of future pub trivia). The estimate for this very cool item is $US10,000-$US20,000.
Millennium Falcon Parts From Return of the Jedi (1983)
For $US3,000 and probably more (follow along here), you can own actual fragments of the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
Ewok Village Speech From Return of the Jedi
There are several pieces of paper with Ewokese dialogue written on them available in this sale; this is one of the more elaborate examples. According to the auction house, “the page has the speech written out by Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt in black ink, with several annotations by Anthony Daniels in blue ink. Some of Burtt’s writing has been crossed out. Dialogue was written for Daniels during the process of recording ADR (automated dialogue replacement).” It’s estimated to snag $US1,000-$US2,000; follow along here.
C-3PO Costume Repair Tape
“A roll of gold 3M Scotch tape used to repair C-3PO’s (Anthony Daniels) costumes from the Star Wars franchise, though it is unknown whether this roll was used for the original or prequel trilogies,” according to the auction site. Duct tape really can fix everything! Would you pay $US200-$US400 for this? Watch along here and see if someone does.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Cookie Gift From Kathleen Kennedy
Daniels explained this one in that THR interview: “it was given to him on the last day of shooting 2019’s The Last Jedi by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy,” something that made him chuckle ruefully, remembering his conversation with Mark Hamill about the farewell gift they both received. “[Hamill] said, ‘I’ve been in all these movies and what I am getting as a leaving present? A cookie.’ And I kinda laughed,” Danels said. “And then the same thing happened to me. I got a cookie.” For $US50-$US100, this aging pastry can be yours; follow along here.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Vintage “Switcheroo”
This vintage treasure might be the niftiest thing in the auction, and Propstore somehow thinks it will only go for $US100-$US200. Droid up your lightswitch here!
Anthony Daniels’ Personal Star Wars Record Collection
This lot feels like the best thrift-store haul ever, with the added enticement that everything is in good condition and it comes straight off C-3PO’s personal record shelf. Four hundred bucks is the top estimate (follow here), and for that you’ll get: “Christmas in the Stars, Star Wars Christmas vinyl record album; a Star Wars book and record adaptation of George Lucas’ Star Wars: A New Hope; and three 7″ vinyl records of The Star Wars Intergalactic Droid Choir and Chorale, featuring the song ‘What Can You Get A Wookiee For Christmas (When He Already Owns A Comb?)’ and ‘R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas.’”
Sealed Vintage C-3PO Collector’s Case
It feels like $US200-$US400 (follow here) is lowballing this “sealed vintage See-Threepio (C-3PO) Collector’s Case from the promotion of Richard Marquand’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” Even without the 40 action figures, which are obviously not included, this is probably worth at least twice that to nostalgic fans.
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