The year almost ended with Darth Vader’s lightsaber sitting high atop the pile of “most valuable Star Wars memorabilia ever sold at auction.” But 2025 isn’t over yet, and a new master has emerged: Tom Jung‘s gorgeous, iconic original half-sheet artwork for the 1977 film. While the lightsaber pulled in $3.654 million a few months ago, the painting—sold by the family of Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz—started the bidding at $1 million and ended up fetching $3.875 million.
Here’s the full, uncropped original artwork:
© Heritage Auctions, HA.com
Here’s an advertisement showing the artwork in use:
© Heritage Auctions, HA.com
The third Star Wars artifact in this three million dollar-plus club? The “Red Leader” X-Wing filming miniature (sold in 2023 for $3.125 million).
As a Heritage Auctions press release explains, Jung’s work has importance beyond its aesthetic beauty because it’s “the painting that introduced the world to Star Wars.”
How’s that? Well, “This extraordinary painting is the first widely published image to ever promote Star Wars—the visual spark that ignited a global phenomenon. First appearing in national newspaper ads on May 13, 1977, nearly two weeks before the film’s release, the dynamic composition introduced audiences to ‘a galaxy far, far away.’ It quickly became the definitive visual identity of Star Wars, later gracing the film’s official program cover, massive 24-sheet billboards, and countless magazine and newspaper ads during its original release.”
And fans still know it perfectly today, with its vivid renderings of ships in flight, pilots standing in formation, a muscular Luke and sultry Leia (before anyone knew they were, y’know, twins), Obi-Wan Kenobi, a tiny Chewbacca, and more, with Darth Vader’s giant helmet looming over everything.
Another record was also set by this Heritage Auctions sale, by the way: the highest price for a piece of movie poster art. In July, Bob Peak’s original Apocalypse Now artwork sold for $687,500, which sounds like a bargain right about now.
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