Old 'Jeontugi Model' Sold for 4.2 Billion Won... "Because It's a Star Wars Prop"

Model Used in 1977 'Star Wars' Original Film
Lost but Found Last Year in Warehouse

A model used during the filming of the early installments of the famous Hollywood movie series 'Star Wars' was auctioned in the United States and sold for a record high price.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 16th (local time) that a model of a fighter jet used in the filming of Star Wars Episode 4 was sold for $3,135,000 (approximately 4.2 billion KRW). This is the highest price ever achieved for any Star Wars-related prop put up for auction.

X-wing featured in Star Wars Episode 4 'A New Hope' from 1977 [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The day before (the 15th), Heritage Auctions held an auction in Dallas, USA. The item up for auction was a model of the 'X-wing' fighter jet featured in Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope (1977). The X-wing is the fighter jet used by the protagonist faction, the Rebel Alliance, in the movie.

The starting bid for the X-wing at the auction was initially around $400,000 (approximately 540 million KRW). However, fierce competition between two bidders caused the final price to soar.

The fighter jet model was directly produced by Industrial Light & Magic, a special effects company founded by Star Wars director George Lucas. The model measures 56 cm in length.

After filming ended, the whereabouts of the model were unknown, but it was reportedly discovered in the warehouse of Hollywood special effects expert Greg Jein about 40 years later. Jein passed away last year, and according to his family, the X-wing was found while sorting through his belongings.

Meanwhile, besides the X-wing, various movie props collected by Jein in the past were also auctioned. A 'Stormtrooper' costume from the Star Wars series sold for $645,000 (approximately 870 million KRW), and a spacesuit prop from Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece '2001: A Space Odyssey' was sold for $447,000 (approximately 600 million KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.