It was the highlight of the sale and estimated at $400,000. It was sold for the staggering sum of $3.1 million. As part of a sale dedicated to the collection of Greg Jein, an Oscar-nominated special effects modeler, the model of the spaceship used in the 1977 Star Wars film has reached a stellar record. This collection full of gems, including the famous X-Wing Fighter ship, was auctioned on October 14 and 15 in Dallas by Heritage Auctions.
Fans of the intergalactic saga created by George Lucas in 1977 believed the model was lost forever. Hidden in a cardboard box in the collector’s garage, it was found in September. Special effects historian Gene Kozicki told The Hollywood Reporter at the time that it was unclear how Greg Jein, who had not worked on Star Wars, came to own this gem. He supposes that it could have entered his collection while he was working on Steven Spielberg’s film Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977. A plausible hypothesis since many special effects specialists were also working on Star Wars at the same time.
Also read: “It’s impossible to tell the story of Star Wars by giving George Lucas or Disney a say”
The model of the spaceship belongs to the legend of Star Wars since it is present in the final scene of the first film. Designed and produced by the special effects company Industrial Light
In addition to this spaceship, Greg Jein’s collection contained other treasures: an original Stormtrooper costume from the 1977 film, an astronaut suit from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Batarangs (boomerangs) from the television series 1960s Batman and finally Star Trek accessories.