Darth Sidious‘ (Ian McDiarmid) alternate-finish hero-style lightsaber hilt with a printed concept design by artist Tony Drew from George Lucas‘ Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Chancellor Palpatine, secretly Sith Lord Darth Sidious, wielded his lightsaber in duels with Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and Yoda (Frank Oz). This piece has an alternate-finish style that is a darker color than the lightsaber seen in the final film.

Created by the production’s props department, this lightsaber hilt is a hero-style piece that was never intended to take a dueling blade; it is constructed primarily from metal painted black and gold, applied with a gloss gunmetal finish simulating electrum, and inset with nonfunctional red and green plastic lights.

Various finishes were experimented with during pre-production, and the finish to this lightsaber is darker than the version seen in the final film. The darker finish was likely presented to Lucas as an option for the prop, but ultimately not used in the final film. Also included is a printed copy design sheet for the interior and exterior of Sidious‘ lightsaber printed on Star Wars production letterhead labeled „Palpatines [sic] Lightsaber“ and dated „2003.“

The hilt exhibits scratching, tarnished gold-color segments, and white staining around the base, while the paper exhibits fold lines, stray markings, and a pinhole. Dimensions (hilt): 7.5″ x 2″ x 2″ (19 cm x 5 cm x 5 cm); (design): 12″ x 8.5″ (30.5 cm x 21.75 cm)

Estimate: $6,000 – 8,000