Star Wars fans have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to wear Han Solo’s jacket – but may have to stump up a whopping £1 MILLION first.
It is the first time the jacket has gone under the hammer since Harrison Ford wore it in the 1980 instalment of the popular Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back.
Over 600 items worth £3.5m are currently on exhibition at London’s BFI IMAX in the run-up to the auction by Prop Store on September 20 – but the brown leather vest is tipped to be the biggest draw.
The sale is the UK’s largest annual live auction of film and TV memorabilia and will be running for the fifth consecutive year this month.
Experts reckon the iconic jacket, belonging to the most dashing space pirate in cinema history, is likely to sell for around £500,000 but wealthy collectors could well double that price.
A fedora also worn by Ford in Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark could be auctioned off for as much as £300,000.
Other Star Wars paraphernalia includes a Stormtrooper helmet from 1977’s A New Hope, and Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber from 2005’s Revenge of the Sith.
Proceeds from the sale of another space helmet, worn by First Order Stormtroopers in the latest flick The Last Jedi are all being donated to The NSPCC.
Marty McFly’s futuristic neon ‘Mattel’ hoverboard will go under the hammer with bids starting at £30,000.
A pair of Olivanders Wand Boxes from Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone could be the cheapest props up for grabs – as they are expected to sell for £400.
Prop Store CEO Stephen Lane said: “After our record breaking successes last year, we’re incredibly excited to announce our fifth Entertainment Memorabilia Live auction in London and pleased to be partnering with the exceptional team at ODEON again.
“Our auction on September 20th 2018 will once again raise the bar, presenting some of the most iconic cinematic artefacts of our time.
“We look forward to bringing together a global audience of film fans and collectors to London’s ODEON BFI IMAX for the two-week preview exhibition.”
Chris Bates, Commercial Director at ODEON UK & Ireland said: “We’re delighted to welcome back the iconic Prop Store exhibition to London’s BFI IMAX once again, for what we hope will be another record breaking year.
“The team at Prop Store continue to exceed themselves in curating an incredible collection of items up for auction, with this year’s list including a range of props from the Star Wars franchise, Titanic, Fight Club and Terminator.
“We very much look forward to welcoming film fans through our doors to get up close to some of film’s most iconic props, and to catch the latest and best entertainment on Britain’s biggest cinema screen.”
