Star Wars weapon used by Chewbacca sells for £471k

A weapon prop used by Chewbacca in all three of the original Star Wars movies was sold at a US auction for $610,000 (£471,493).

The Bowcaster, which resembles a crossbow, was from props master Gerard Bourke's collection, which he amassed while working on the trilogy shot at Elstree Studios, Hertfordshire.

It was sold at an entertainment auction in Los Angeles by Propstore, a company based in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.

A medal given to Luke Skywalker in the first film was also for sale, but it fell just $10,000 (£7,744) short of its $300,000 (£231,901) reserve after 15 bids.

Chewbacca's Bowcaster is the only weapon to appear in the original trilogy based on a crossbow, while other characters used blasters that resembled guns.

It was based on a real weapon model made by Horton Crossbows of Wales, which was manufactured in low numbers.

Only one Bowcaster was seemingly made and used by production, with no evidence of a second or backup prop, according to Propstore.

Although the weapon was not named in the trilogy itself, Luke Skywalker refers to it as a "crossbow". However, it was called a Bowcaster in books, computer games and toy packaging.

The weapon was often carried by the popular Wookie character but only fired on a couple of occasions.

It also appeared in the made-for-TV Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978.

In total, 42 bids were made on The Bowcaster.

Taking into consideration fees, the buyer paid a total of $768,600 (£594,836) for the weapon.

It was expected to sell for between $250,000 and $500,000 (£193,230 and £386,492).

In total, Propstore's entertainment memorabilia auction raised $6,800,000 (£5,260,956) on Wednesday.

Brandon Alinger, Propstore COO, was thrilled with the result.

He said: "The auction surpassed our expectations and showcased the enduring popularity of franchises like Star Wars, Batman, and Ghostbusters, along with legendary films like Grease and cult favorite, The Evil Dead.

"We're proud to have connected our global audience of fans with the historic pieces they cherish, and we look forward to the next two days of the auction."

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