'Star Wars' pistol up for auction

WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse

The Mauser-style pistol that Harrison Ford's character Han Solo used in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi" is up for sale to the highest bidder, online auctioneers Invaluable said Wednesday.
 
Looking a bit worse for wear after its intergalactic adventures, the so-called DL-44 Blaster -- which Ford used in the two 1980s blockbuster movies -- is estimated to be worth $200,000 to $300,000.
 
It's the same prop Darth Vader lassoed out of Solo's hand with the Force in "Empire," and which he wrestled back from a Stormtrooper in "Jedi," said Invaluable on its website (www.invaluable.com).
 
"The blaster is exactly in its original filming condition and therefore exhibits wear from use, but retains all of the original details, including the flash suppressor and scope," it said.
 
Its vintage boxy design was inspired by the Mauser C96, a German pistol made in large numbers from 1896 to 1937 -- although the auctioneers stressed that the prop cannot fire actual bullets.
 
Put on sale by a collector of Star Wars memorabilia, the item is open for bidding until December 21 alongside other pistols and guns used by Ford in "Blade Runner" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."