Today, Profiles in History is making news with Associated Press announcing one of the highlights of their next Hollywood auction, a “screen used” prop lightsaber attributed to use by Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Profiles in History claims that the “hero” lightsaber has provenance going back directly to the late John Mollo, the costume designer on the film who passed away about six months ago. Head over to the Replica Prop Forum, and there is already a discussion underway, with some members raising questions.
Details and photos of the “screen used” lightsaber prop are included in the just released catalog for the “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” public auction taking place June 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th at Profiles in History in Calabasas, California.
Below is the full description of the piece as published in the catalog:
775. Alec Guinness “Obi-Wan ‘Ben’ Kenobi” hero screen used Lightsaber from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. (TCF, 1977) Obtained by the consignor directly from John Mollo, Academy Award-winning Star Wars costume designer, this is the hero non-fighting lightsaber used and worn by Alec Guinness in his iconic role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, mentor to Luke Skywalker and teacher of the ways of the Jedi. Purpose built by the production, this lightsaber is crafted from steel and measures 10.75 in. long. The center band was repurposed from a 1930s Graflex flashgun with 1970s-era calculator bubble strip attached within the mounting clamp. A D-ring is mounted near the bottom to attach to Obi-Wan’s belt. Exhibits expected scuffing to black paint and the Mylar tape that once covered the etched “Graflex” name been removed since production. Comes with a signed letter of provenance from the trustee of the family who was gifted the lightsaber by costume designer John Mollo fifteen years ago. This is the only original trilogy Obi-Wan lightsaber we have ever encountered. Without question, one of the most prized Star Wars artifacts one could ever hope to attain. An icon in science fiction cinema history. $150,000 – $250,000
You can download the full catalog from the Profiles in History website: LINK
I assembled the compilation below comparing the official Lucasfilm photos of the Obi-Wan lightsaber from Star Wars published in the official Star Wars Chronicles book released in 1997 (LEFT) alongside the prop in the upcoming June 2018 Profiles in History auction (RIGHT):
Click for Higher Resolution: LINK
Interestingly, the catalog description for the Profiles in History piece states that it is 10.75 inches long, while the Star Wars Chronicles books lists the length as 29 centimeters (11.4173 inches).
One question that is not addressed in the catalog description is if this prop up for auction is built on a real WWI British rifle No.3 MK1 grenade or if what we are seeing is a machined part? The catalog description states “…this lightsaber is crafted from steel”. Below is a comparison, with an example of a genuine No.3 MK1 grenade (LEFT) and the Profiles in History prop (RIGHT):
Click for Higher Resolution: LINK
It is well documented that the Obi-Wan lightsaber was assembled from found parts (as with other props and blasters seen in A New Hope), so I imagine that it would be possible to closely examine the prop up for public auction by Profiles in History to determine if it is indeed an assemblage of all of these genuine vintage found parts?
The catalog description references some of these parts – the Graflex clamp and band, the Texas Instruments Exactra 20 calculator bubble strip – but not others such as the aforementioned WWI No.3 MK1 British rifle grenade for the higher grip, the two buttons made from transistors, the balance pipe from a Rolls Royce Derwent Mk8/Mk9 jet engine for the emitter, the booster attachment from a Browning ANM2 machine gun for the lower grip, the Armitage Shank hand wheel for the pommel…
Given that countless runs of replicas of this popular movie prop have been made over many decades now, and the original source parts have always been difficult to obtain (and therefore were replicated/machined) as well as some took longer than others to correctly identify, I imagine it would be possible via analysis to determine if indeed this is a second hero “screen used” Obi-Wan lightsaber used in the film or if it is not.
Jason DeBord