'I have you now!': Darth Vader's lightsaber from 'Star Wars' sells for $3.6 million at auction

Artifacts from "Star Wars," the grandest pop culture franchise on the planet, are going for stratospheric prices at auctions these days, as evidenced by the record-breaking $3.6 million selling price for a rare, authentic Darth Vader lightsaber prop at a Propstore event last week.

This slightly worn, screen-matched hero prop was wielded by David Prowse and the legendary stuntman Bob Anderson in 1980's "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" and 1983's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi," and was expected to fetch between $1 million and $3 million, according to most pre-sale estimates.

The eye-watering winning bid was a cool $2.9 million ($3.6 million including the buyer's premium), which makes it the most credits ever paid for any "Star Wars" prop, costume, or memorabilia.

The official catalog describes it as, "constructed from a vintage British press camera flash handle that was transformed into Vader’s infamous weapon through the fitting of dressing components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles, and cosmetic wiring. This specific prop was further modified with a custom blade-mounting system that facilitated the installation of a wooden rod; the rod served as the blade during the choreographed fight scenes and made the physical, on-camera dueling possible. It also later served as a guide for visual effects artists to add the hand-animated glow for the final shots."

Propstore’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction for Lord Darth Vader's wicked weapon was held last Thursday for in-person, online, absentee, and old-fashioned phone bidding at the Peterson Automotive Museum in L.A., where the total sum of $3,654,000 became the final hammer price for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own perhaps the Holy Grail of all "Star Wars" treasure.

Hopefully, the lucky buyer (or buyers) who now own this remarkable piece of "Star Wars" history will take a little cue from Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and place it on display in a museum for global fans to marvel at.