An original light-up C-3PO screen-used head, from Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, sold at auction for over $1 million.

C-3PO Head Sells for $1 Million

Sold by Propstore, the estimated price was $350,000 to $700,000 but someone snatched up the head for $1,058,400.

The prop belonged to the family of a crew member who worked on the 1980 film. It’s believed to be the only original C-3PO head from the film available in the collector’s market.

The famous droid, portrayed by Anthony Daniels, appeared in all nine of the Skywalker Saga films and had the first line of dialogue in A New Hope. His iconic golden design was created by Ralph McQuarrie, who was inspired by Walter Schulze-Mittendorff’s Maschinenmensch (a.k.a. Maria) from Metropolis (1927).

Daniels accepted the role after seeing McQuarrie’s concept art. The crew took molds of his face, torso, and limbs. Sculptor Liz Moore created the several different versions of the head and George Lucas picked the final design.

The head is made of thin fiberglass, made to be close-fitting and lightweight. It consists of a backplate, faceplate, and neck-ring fixed together with two neck-bolts and a forehead antenna. The light-up right eye retains its original wiring while the left eye’s wiring has been replaced.

The video below highlights how the head differs from the original A New Hope and later Return of the Jedi props.

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