C-3PO’s head goes for nearly a million euros at auction

A hammer blow worthy of Star Wars. A golden head of C-3PO from the film Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) crossed the symbolic million dollar mark, during an auction organized on March 25 in Los Angeles by Propstore. The head of the golden protocol droid was sold for $1,058,400, or approximately 923,113 euros. This sale far exceeds the initial estimate ($350,000 -700,000).

The golden robot is a creation by American designer and illustrator Ralph McQuarrie, inspired by the robot “Maria” by Walter Schulze-Mittendorff, a character from the German science fiction film Metropolis (1927) de Fritz Lang.

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An “aged” and “worn” robot for the scenario

Made from fine fiberglass, the head consists of a face plate with integrated eyes, a back plate and a neck ring, held securely by two bolts and a front antenna. According to Propstore, the prop was intentionally aged to reflect the character’s wear and tear in the film. But the original metal finish remained intact and has not undergone any restoration.

This sale is in line with the records reached by relics from the intergalactic saga. Last year, a Darth Vader lightsaber, used in the first three parts of the saga Star Warssold for 3.6 million dollars, around 3 million euros.

Several objects from the film Jaws de Spielberg, also found a buyer, notably a harpoon and a fishing rod, from the filming of Jaws, each sold for $327,600 and $239,400.