Iconic ‘Star Wars’ X-Wing Fighter Could Fetch $1 Million At Auction

A photo-matched pyrotechnic X-wing starfighter from the original 1977 Star Wars movie could sell for as much as $1 million at an upcoming auction of movie memorabilia.

The model miniature from A New Hope has an estimate of $500,000 to $1 million (£395,000 to £790,000) and is the jewel in the crown of the livestreamed Propstore sale. The four-day auction includes over 1,800 lots from over 600 different titles and is expected to raise over $9 million (£7.1 million).

“The X-Wing is a fantastic piece of Star Wars history that has never been auctioned before,” enthused Brandon Alinger, Propstore’s COO. “One of the greatest things about Star Wars is the strong design aesthetic that comes through in every frame of the film. The X-wing is a key example of that and is certainly the most memorable spacecraft in the film alongside the Millennium Falcon.”

“The X-wing models were a concept directly from George Lucas, who was thinking about long-bodied dragsters with wings. They were entirely custom fabricated by a team of expert model makers from the film. What makes this one so wonderful is that it is from the original Star Wars and is the only intact, fully-finished X-wing model from the film’s production that is known to exist today amongst private collectors.”

Alinger added, “It is also extremely well documented. The model screen-matches to a specific ‘pyro’ shot of an explosion going off on Red Leader’s engine in the film. Several behind-the-scenes photos taken at Industrial Light and Magic exist that show the model extremely well. Every scratch and airbrush mark in the paintwork can be matched up exactly to those images from 1976.”

While the Star Wars ship takes pole position, the top five items with the highest estimates also include a light-up full-size replica of the DeLorean from the Back to the Future trilogy, used at official Universal Studios promotional events, and Chris Hemsworth’s stunt hammer from Thor. They are in second and third place with estimates of $150,000 to $200,000 (£118,500 to £158,000) and $100,000 to $150,000 (£79,000 to £118,500) respectively.

The fourth and fifth place items with the heftiest price tags are Marty McFly’s Hoverboard from Back to the Future Part II, which is expected to find a new home for somewhere in the region of $80,000 to $120,000 (£63,200 to £94,800) and an animatronic Gizmo puppet from 1989’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch. It is has a guide price of $80,000 to $120,000 (£63,200 to £94,800). The auction starts Tuesday, June 21, 2022, kicking off at 8 am PT each day and running through Friday, June 24, 2022.

Items from such classic movies as Top Gun, Pulp Fiction, Batman, and Edward Scissorhands are also up for grabs at the right price, as are a complete set of bound staff writer’s scripts from the TV show I Love Lucy, which have an estimated value of $50,000 to $70,000 (£39,500 to £55,300). In total, over 600 different titles are represented in the auction.

Alinger explained that they continue to be surprised what finds its way to them. “It’s one of the very best parts of running these auctions, is seeing what comes to the surface and is available, often for the first time. The Pulp Fiction wallet was a great one to surface for this auction. We sold one about five years ago, and we didn’t know there were any others out there. The one that surfaced for this auction was owned by the assistant prop master on the film, who used it for a time as his personal wallet after production wrapped. It’s amazing that he still had it.”

The sale will give fans of a range of IPs the chance to own their own Holy Grail items. For those who want to take that literally, Indiana Jones’ Holy Grail Diary from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will go under the hammer with an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000 (£47,400 to £63,200). For a snip less, horror fans can place their bids on Freddy Kruger’s bladed glove and sweater SFX rig from the 2003 crossover movie Freddy Vs. Jason which has a guide price of $15,000 to $20,000 (£11,850 to £15,800).

“It really is one of our best auction lineups ever, so there are a huge amount of exciting items represented. I Love Lucy is not a title we have handled much content from in the past, but we have a brilliant script set from one of the show’s key writers in this auction, and it represents the full 179-episode run of the show. The Indiana Jones Grail Diary is a top piece for fans of that franchise. The Ghost Trap and Dan Aykroyd’s costume from Ghostbusters II are great, plus the trap has functional lights. The Michael Keaton Batman boots from 1989 will likely get a lot of attention from the sneaker crowd. I could go on and on.”

With Top Gun: Maverick due to land in movie theaters later this month, interest in an item from the 1986 original is expected to catch a few eyes. The pyrotechnic model miniature of Hollywood and Wolfman’s F-14A Tomcat has an estimated sale price of $30,000 to $50,000 (£23,700 to £39,500).

“There’s no question that people revisit the original when a title gets a new installment, and interest is at a peak,” the Propstore COO confirmed. “Top Gun is a film that has always resonated with collectors, and the early buzz on the upcoming film seems very good. The model is about 6 feet long and has little miniature pilots installed in the cockpit. It was used for a pyrotechnic shot where a MiG shoots down the F-14 in the final battle, which of course, they couldn’t do with real aircraft. We’ll see how it performs on auction day.”

There will be a series of livestreams on social media leading up to the event, which will give people a chance to check out some of the items and even ask questions. Anyone interested in taking part in the auction can register now. Proxy bids can be submitted from Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Suppose there’s something you want to get a better look at before doing that. In that case, the auction lots are available for viewing either in person by appointment at the Propstore offices in Valencia, California, or virtually by appointment.