Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) production-made lightsaber from the production of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Lightsabers are one of the most memorable props in the history of cinema, and it is well-known amongst enthusiasts that Luke’s original lightsaber was built from a Graflex 3-Cell Camera Flash Attachment unit. The modifications used to turn the flash handle into the lightsaber prop were relatively straightforward: a set of black T-shaped grips were attached to the lower half of the flash, a D-ring was attached to the bottom of the unit to allow it to hang from a belt hook, and a set of plastic magnification „bubbles“ from a vintage calculator display were fitted to the flashes center clamp.

Due to the simple nature of the prop’s construction, authenticity around Graflex-based lightsaber props is frequently controversial. This is the first Luke Skywalker lightsaber Prop Store has handled with solid provenance and the appropriate physical construction elements to support that it is indeed from the production. The most well-documented Skywalker lightsaber props are the Graflex-based hero version seen best in production photography, and the special-effects version with a motorized spinning blade (designed to reflect light into the camera lens) that was made from a piece of pipe dressed to look a Graflex. It is not clear exactly how many lightsaber props were built for the first film in total. This lightsaber is distinctly not the hero Graflex version seen in production photographs, or the well-documented spinning version, but is an original made for the production of the film.

The lightsaber originated from Andy Mitchel, the son of Andrew Mitchell, who was the managing director of Elstree Studios at the time the original Star Wars films were shot there. Mitchell recovered the lightsaber prop as a young man from the Elstree Studios backlot where it had been discarded along many other props and sets during or after production. He was allowed to keep the piece as a memento shortly after production wrapped.

The Graflex is a „Folmer“ version of the flash handle, which is the same version of Graflex used to create the hero piece seen in production photographs. This flash unit was fully converted into a prop lightsaber: a D-ring is affixed to the bottom of the handle with two pop rivets, a bubble lens strip fitted in the center clamp (with 7 bubbles, matching the hero prop), and glue residue exists on the lower half where the T-shaped grips were once attached. The red button at the top of the flash is a version with a thin band of knurling-different to the documented hero Graflex, but the same style of button seen on the document effects „spinning blade“ prop.

The most interesting aspect of this piece is a welded metal plate affixed into the open end of the emitter. The plate features a small hole in the center and the welding process has deformed some of the top of the flash. This plate was almost certainly welded in as part of the effort to mount a blade in the handle. This custom modification supports the fact that the special effects or props team at Elstree Studio was working with this piece at some point during production, and it was specifically converted to be a lightsaber prop.

At present, the location of both the well-documented hero Graflex lightsaber and well-documented „spinning blade“ effects version of the prop are not known. Therefore, this may be the only, or certainly one of the few, genuine Luke Skywalker lightsaber props from the original Star Wars film still in existence. While it is uncertain whether this piece was ever used in filming or not, it has a strong chain of provenance and the appropriate physical construction to support its authenticity and is a wonderful example of this legendary film prop. Included are a letter of authenticity from Andy Mitchell who originally obtained the piece from the Elstree backlot, and from a friend of Mitchell’s who was gifted the piece by Mitchell in 1983.

The piece is well-worn, with numerous scratches and marks to the body. Dimensions: 25 cm x 5.75 cm x 3 .75 cm (10″ x 21/4″ x 11/2″)

£60,000 – 100,000 M