Actors Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace The lightsaber used by Liam Neeson’s character Qui-Jon Jinn in 1999 blockbuster Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is expected to fetch up to $80,000 (£62,000) at auction next month. The iconic prop is being sold alongside a host of other movie objects at the Entertainment Memorabilia auction in Los Angeles between August 15-18. The lightsaber hilt was held by the Northern Irish actor during filming of the Star Wars prequel and estimates by the auction house say the prop will sell for anywhere between $40,000 (£31,000) to $80,000, with bidding starting at $20,000 (£15,000).
The replica is seen in many of the film’s most memorable scenes including the jedi knight’s fight with battle droids and in his fatal final duel against Darth Maul – the film’s iconic villain. The prop is even more significant as Ballymena-born Neeson personally picked this hilt design for his character in the film. Describing the lot, the site says: “The film introduced audiences to the world before A New Hope, with a far younger Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), then a padawan under Master Jinn.
"It shattered numerous box office records, and dethroned Jurassic Park's records for both largest single-day gross and fastest to gross $100 million USD in five days. "This prequel film was nominated for numerous Academy Awards®, BAFTA®, and Grammy Awards® for technical and musical achievements. “Many iterat.