Star Wars double lightsaber figure to go under hammer in Thornaby

A Star Wars figure featuring a rare double telescoping lightsaber is expected to fetch up to £20,000 at auction.

The Luke Skywalker model portrays the character as a farm boy and was released in 1977 to celebrate the launch of the original franchise movie A New Hope.

The figure is considered rare because it features a yellow lightsaber barrel with a second, thinner blade concealed within it, allowing the weapon to extend to a longer length, according to auctioneers.

It is due to be sold by Thornaby-based Vectis Auctions on 15 October with bids starting at £9,000, the firm said.

“This thinner inner saber was very fragile, expensive to produce and proved a potential safety risk to children, so it was quickly replaced with a single lightsaber,” a spokesperson for Vectis explained.

They added only two other vintage Star Wars figures produced by Kenner featured the double telescoping lightsaber – Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi and Darth Vader – meaning they were sought-after by Star Wars fans.

Vectis said the Luke Skywalker action figure was originally obtained from the family of an employee of General Mills, a company that ran promotional campaigns for the franchise.

The employee was responsible for sending mail orders of the figures out as part of an early-bird promotion of the movie.

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