# ‘Blast ‘Em!’: Heritage Auctions Offers in July Stormtrooper Helmet and Blaster Used in 1977’s ‘Star Wars’

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/blast-em-heritage-auctions-offers-in-july-stormtrooper-helmet-and-blaster-used-in-1977s-star-wars/
- Published: 2022-07-15T12:00:00-05:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

![](https://i0.wp.com/files.constantcontact.com/2851c9eb701/7862b853-2380-450a-a688-
eb45636b0db8.png?w=1290&ssl=1)

**‘Blast ‘Em!’: Heritage Auctions Offers in July Stormtrooper Helmet and Blaster
Used in 1977’s ‘Star Wars’**

_These two coveted, screen-used items that help launch George Lucas’ never-ending
franchise are just the props collectors are looking for._

![](https://i0.wp.com/files.constantcontact.com/2851c9eb701/72d03759-b763-4e70-bce0-
e8824f5161a9.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

**DALLAS, Texas (July 7, 2022) —** A long time ago in a theater probably not too
far from your house, Star Wars was released — May 25, 1977, long before the original
space opera was rechristened Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. To celebrate that
45th anniversary, Heritage Auctions is thrilled to offer in its [July 22-23 Hollywood & Entertainment Signature® Auction](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zxRNLUh931jfY-kV3V_8-LNZeg7yJ3bQeIvP5Dn1ivLL8DZ10Vyqm1Hm_EVqnGoJakOru8VJX0aBkF0W4DoqvlqYT3FMsoqWDjrHFLFrqeyznymgpov-nDqOSA0NKniAmtaoUzUmV6IERKX8BjB4IOnaWmLE0u7uOqy29hhjV8M1mXAMl4McV959UAHL6NSw_XhH-F2Fgxw=&c=H0rYrZ5st1MjnuzDMtebONoxn_3OMcn4-c6hbeFT3-wRb-oww9ZGFg==&ch=hQ36P3fxvclhyi4q8t8vwTZ_dU1uaeKenfj9JhdI7-ni6H4NsZKtOw==)
two of the rarest and most coveted items featured in the film that spawned a never-
ending franchise: [a screen-matched stormtrooper helmet](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zxRNLUh931jfY-kV3V_8-LNZeg7yJ3bQeIvP5Dn1ivLL8DZ10Vyqm1Hm_EVqnGoJjPe9YzjkAN-TOuNYShqoQPrynzhn2YWxbpfUNfDvYufGmZ7f_3xMyJS1vH_1ARqP3bL0m1QLk3LxQHnwvIXu0zlobzKMFOs_VRicjwggr9UEckw_DBPh6R0YG5j4C03VYNyzQnTAbaZVl5LCSph27ZT6znmWrNrT5DRjLnDcvTIg2tRiyhAWcmRpF43K3H_mTBsPThlAEB1dsl9y2pXoHIABu0JSyoNT9PIGi0HDTyfaR_ehMaCkIMvsXdx_Zvl0dOKJB6Q4CPiBLvtDbFsZn1_Dc96UucEP&c=H0rYrZ5st1MjnuzDMtebONoxn_3OMcn4-c6hbeFT3-wRb-oww9ZGFg==&ch=hQ36P3fxvclhyi4q8t8vwTZ_dU1uaeKenfj9JhdI7-ni6H4NsZKtOw==)
and [a screen-used hero E-11 blaster shared by stormtroopers, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zxRNLUh931jfY-kV3V_8-LNZeg7yJ3bQeIvP5Dn1ivLL8DZ10Vyqm1Hm_EVqnGoJX_UtyT0ki0U-ljthHlXJx4riY-7s7tY-wBvlGJxqhSVErMDPKaMcb6kHAf6K4rbOQHeQ4TFjg7R6dNnamZ83wrRelgfIY7ni6Xb0ysy3bdPVWnhjpywVWgt7T6NWKA6tkZiDRvj2Z2FVqp0wwD-_isqUVFEZjBVdDOneymx6c7gV0P0wOgqPMyOhYqQSckdkLu7Zhqr1COn87x73T8_K85s7XhHSRH_kobEbRMhc6iH4D1Eg2POO_tiZp1IJAXNytY4TBFpnub8=&c=H0rYrZ5st1MjnuzDMtebONoxn_3OMcn4-c6hbeFT3-wRb-oww9ZGFg==&ch=hQ36P3fxvclhyi4q8t8vwTZ_dU1uaeKenfj9JhdI7-ni6H4NsZKtOw==).

We’ve got a good feeling about this.

“Finding screen-matched props from Star Wars is virtually unheard-of,” says Joe 
Maddalena, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. “I’ve had the pleasure
and privilege of offering several items from the movie that changed everything. 
But there is something particularly magical about the helmet and blaster. These 
recognizable, revered items were made for a movie that was turned down by studios
before 20th Century Fox OK’d a franchise that continues to thrive in the 21st century.”

When George Lucas began shooting Star Wars in the Tunisian desert in March 1976,
only six stormtrooper helmets were completed in time for filming. These first helmets
were later dubbed “sandtroopers” by fans and ultimately by Lucasfilm. In addition
to their custom, desert-worn weathering, these helmets also featured unique hand-
painted detailing that differs slightly from all the other stormtrooper helmets 
finished and used later.  

Of these six original sandtrooper helmets, only two are confirmed to exist in private
hands. Heritage Auctions is offering one of the two.

![](https://i0.wp.com/files.constantcontact.com/2851c9eb701/de5ae809-fd37-482a-a72c-
f1881ca71979.jpg?w=1290&ssl=1)

In addition to being one of the surviving original first-produced and first-filmed
stormtrooper helmets from the original Star Wars, this specific helmet can be conclusively
identified on-screen across multiple sequences. It was also worn by one of the few
stormtroopers who delivered dialogue — the very one who speaks to the bartender 
after Obi-Wan Kenobi’s, let’s say, disarming encounter in the Mos Eisley cantina.

It also screen-matches the one worn by the stormtrooper who talks with the mysterious
informant Garindan, then rushes his squad to Docking Bay 94 to stop the Millennium
Falcon from fleeing the Mos Eisley Spaceport. His last words were, “Stop that ship!
Blast ’em!” immediately before being gunned down by Han Solo.

The rushed, handmade nature of the original six stormtrooper helmets ensured that
each would appear unique to an observant viewer when finished. The eyes and “teeth”
were cut out by hand from the vacuum-formed shells, leaving noticeably varied results
from helmet to helmet. The glossy white spray paint used on the helmets famously
didn’t take very well, leaving each helmet with a less-than-uniform finish.  

![](https://i0.wp.com/files.constantcontact.com/2851c9eb701/baac11a8-0153-47b1-ae31-
eeec65a5d6f6.jpg?resize=75%2C408&ssl=1)

Another Star Wars centerpiece in this star-studded event is that screen-used hero
E-11 blaster, which was wielded by both stormtroopers and Han, Luke and Leia during
the Mos Eisley Spaceport shootout, the Tatooine scenes, some Death Star sequences—
and during the beloved trash-compactor scene.

Bapty & Co., the legendary British theatrical armorer, based this science-fiction
weapon on a British Sterling submachine gun, custom fabricating and dressing it 
specifically for the first Star Wars production. The front section of the blaster
is an actual Sterling body tube with the central barrel replaced by a simple wooden
dowel painted black.

Custom-made from aluminum, the grip and trigger guard are not standard. The rear
section of the Sterling was cut away, and a solid aluminum billet cast specifically
made by Bapty & Co. for these props was slotted into the rear of the gun. The billet
extends from the rear of the Sterling tube past the ejector port and receiver, rendering
the piece a non-working weapon.

Here, too, are multiple lightsabers from the Star Wars prequels, among them [Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hero lightsaber hilt used by Ewan McGregor in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zxRNLUh931jfY-kV3V_8-LNZeg7yJ3bQeIvP5Dn1ivLL8DZ10Vyqm1Hm_EVqnGoJ595vFsH23vmeGuE5dDEmZY5pTTKdhqgxdiJPADmWQCJcNjwEha_VSPAalFcBnRKO2ddguq6rPkv-4_z4I2c4HAkOjc2mhrcFUadYhtVHXm1RjEak64nGvGM9sWaMBn_hCIA9InQRJuocEZIS4man6sKvBtzJYxIkOW9b29cq5F0VwXXLeU17fZ-81fissr_7IhvGdKgJmhXXQ5aDR11tE09ytInE6F3uosu8T4HF2x_thiZGtcKdmjfEy17I9pXqu6fcyR04VEIXzdy3JBIjhA==&c=H0rYrZ5st1MjnuzDMtebONoxn_3OMcn4-c6hbeFT3-wRb-oww9ZGFg==&ch=hQ36P3fxvclhyi4q8t8vwTZ_dU1uaeKenfj9JhdI7-ni6H4NsZKtOw==).
If, that is, you’re looking for a more elegant weapon from a more civilized age.

_Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded
in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage 
maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London,
Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam, Brussels and Hong Kong._

_Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction
house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular
auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,500,000 registered bidder-members
and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized,
descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media
for photo credit. _

_For breaking stories, follow us: _[_HA.com/Facebook_](https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zxRNLUh931jfY-kV3V_8-LNZeg7yJ3bQeIvP5Dn1ivLL8DZ10Vyqm8pWyfLwK31dpRqxTpddghr6zUBDfYBrworKytwG2nbb-P4YX6W0sAMbSPjk2FvSzlI2goMBNKv9WCc1x5UToB-SynDruRMFbw==&c=H0rYrZ5st1MjnuzDMtebONoxn_3OMcn4-c6hbeFT3-wRb-oww9ZGFg==&ch=hQ36P3fxvclhyi4q8t8vwTZ_dU1uaeKenfj9JhdI7-ni6H4NsZKtOw==)_
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