The model was considered lost by the Industrial Light & Magic team for decades.
An exceptionally rare X-wing fighter model, featured in the original 1977 Star Wars film, astonishingly sold for $3.13 million at auction, significantly surpassing its initial bid of $400,000.
This 1:24 scale model, one of just four "hero" models created for Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope's close-up scenes depicting the Rebel Alliance's assault on the Death Star, was believed lost for a long time. However, it was recently rediscovered in the collection of the late Hollywood modelmaker, Greg Jein.
Greg Jein, a miniature-maker renowned for his contributions to projects such as "Star Trek" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," earned Oscar and Emmy nominations during his career. Following his passing at the age of 76, friends of Greg Jein made an unexpected discovery last year when they found the X-wing fighter model stashed away in his garage.
Heritage Auctions in Dallas hosted the auction, attracting bidders from around the globe. The winning offer came from an undisclosed collector.
According to The New York Times, it was one of hundreds of props, scripts, costumes, and other pieces of Hollywood memorabilia that Mr Jein had collected over the decades and had left scattered throughout two houses, two garages, and two storage units in Los Angeles.
Heritage Auctions said the winning bidder did not want to be publicly identified. The buyer had been bidding on the floor of the auction house in Dallas, competing with another collector who was bidding over the phone. A similar model X-wing sold last year for nearly $2.4 million.
This sale underscores the enduring appeal of Star Wars and the remarkable value associated with original film memorabilia.
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