In Depth: This C-3PO Head From 'The Empire Strikes Back' Just Sold for More Than $1

Smithsonian Magazine uses this report to examine This C-3PO Head From 'The Empire Strikes Back' Just Sold for More Than $1 Million at Auction. The 'Star Wars' prop was likely the only C-3PO head from the 1980 film to appear on the collector market. It features working light-up eyes, including one with the original wiring.

Did you hear that? C-3PO asks at the beginning of the first Star Wars movie in 1977. At Propstore, Star Wars material continues to resonate with collectors, and the C-3PO head from The Empire Strikes Back was a real highlight of the day, Brandon Alinger, Propstore’s chief operating officer, says in a statement .

The fittings that hold the two halves of the head together were also updated as the films progressed, according to the lot listing . The neck bolts and forehead antenna had threaded connectors on the Episode IV pieces, whereas this head features the more advanced quarter-turn versions.

Among collectors, however, items connected to the franchise are highly sought after. Last year, Tom Jung’s half-sheet illustration created ahead of the first film went for $3.9 million at auction, becoming the most expensive item connected to the franchise ever sold.

The report closes by linking the event to broader consequences.