Heritage Auctions' 'Star Wars Day Auction' Records Over $3.6 Million (Approx. 564 Million JPY) in Total Sales, Led by Record-Breaking Luke Skywalker Card

Heritage Auctions (Headquarters: Texas, USA) recorded historic auction results in two Star Wars-related auctions, held for the third consecutive year on May 4th, in celebration of 'Star Wars Day'. Driven by active participation from around the world and record-breaking achievements in multiple categories, the combined sales of the 'Star Wars Day Auction: Trading Card, Action Figure & Toy Auction' and the 'Hollywood/Entertainment Auction' reached approximately $3.6 million (approximately 564.35 million JPY). This annual 'May 4th' event continues to grow in popularity each year.

Both auctions collectively attracted over 1,600 bidders and achieved remarkable sell-through rates. This outcome impressively demonstrates the continuous expansion of the Star Wars collector market, nearly 50 years after the series began.

The 'Trading Card, Action Figure & Toy Auction' led the way with total sales of $2.32 million (approximately 363.3 million JPY), attracting bids from 507 participants and achieving a 100% sell-through rate for all 570 lots. Notably, high-quality 1977 trading cards garnered significant attention, with several Luke Skywalker cards breaking Heritage Auctions' previous highest bid records and stealing the spotlight.

Central to this was the 1977 Topps Star Wars Series 1 No.1 "Luke Skywalker" PSA GEM MINT 10 rookie card. It sold for $687,500 (approximately 107.7 million JPY), more than double the previous highest bid of $268,400 (approximately 42 million JPY) in 2025, setting a new benchmark in this field.

Additionally, the 1977 O-Pee-Chee Star Wars No.1 "Luke Skywalker" PSA10, a particularly rare Canadian version with only two existing in the same grade, sold for $375,000 (approximately 58.7 million JPY), surpassing its previous record of $100,000 (approximately 15.65 million JPY) in December 2025.

Furthermore, the 1977 Topps Series 1 No.7 "The Villainous Darth Vader" PSA10 sold for approximately $200,000 (approximately 32 million JPY), establishing a new record significantly exceeding the previous $48,000 (approximately 7.5 million JPY). The 1977 Topps Series 3 No.207 "C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) Error Card" PSA10 also recorded approximately $41,000 (approximately 6.45 million JPY), far surpassing its previous record of approximately $25,000 (approximately 3.91 million JPY).

The subsequent 'Hollywood/Entertainment Signature Auction' generated total sales of approximately $1.28 million (approximately 200 million JPY), with an overall sell-through rate of 96.7% for all 139 lots and 1,135 bidders. This auction also demonstrated strong interest across various categories, including production-related materials, original art, and iconic items.

The top lot in this auction was a museum-quality replica model of the filming "Millennium Falcon" miniature, approximately 150cm in length, meticulously reproduced using techniques similar to Industrial Lights & Magic (ILM), and also exhibited at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. This model sold for a final price of $350,000 (approximately 54.8 million JPY), setting an all-time record for a Star Wars-related item not used for actual filming.

Other auction records included the comic book "Star Wars No.1 35 Cent Price Variant (Marvel, 1977), CGC Signature Series 9.6," which sold for $162,500 (approximately 25.4 million JPY), significantly exceeding the previous record for a Star Wars comic book of $51,240 (approximately 8 million JPY).

Additionally, original art for 'Star Wars No.1' page 7 by Howard Chaykin (Marvel, 1977) sold for $57,500 (approximately 8.92 million JPY), and Drew Struzan's original art for "Beware the Power of the Dark Side," created for the film 'Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back' (1983), sold for $45,000 (approximately 7.05 million JPY). Furthermore, actor Pedro Pascal's costume from 'The Mandalorian' Season 1...