When we first met him in 1977's Star Wars, Han Solo had a sizable bounty on his head, due to debts owed to Jabba the Hutt. It's why he took a young Luke Skywalker and an aged Obi-Wan Kenobi aboard the Millennium Falcon, and eventually got wrapped up rescuing Princess Leia Organa from the clutches of the evil Darth Vader. However, if Han had just lied low and held onto some of his old clothes from adventures past, he might have been able to pay those debts off with an auction.
The Wrap reported the massive amount of funds that Harrison Ford's jacket, worn on screen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, brought in. The jacket fetched a whopping $191,000 dollars for charity, with the money raked in by Ford's clothing item will go to the charities of the NYU Langone Medical Center and FACES (Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures.) While the jacket itself is pretty awesome, the fact that it's also signed by Ford himself, and backed with a certificate of authenticity, makes the sale all the more amazing for the lucky fan who found themselves the winning bidder.
While the price of $191,000 is nothing to sniff at, especially when it comes to owning a piece of the Star Wars legacy, it's hardly the most expensive purse banked by a collectible associated with the production of the legendary franchise. That honor would belong to a Panavision PSR 35mm camera that was used to film 1977's Star Wars, which racked up a winning bid of $625,000 back in 2011. Though if you're looking for something closer to the neighborhood of Han Solo's last jacket, you would have to be the lucky fan who bid on Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, which went for $205,600 in 2005.
The bidding for the on-screen wardrobe item was bid on by 50 bidders, with an opening bid of $15,000 starting off the madness. Though it should be noted that this latest act of charity from the folks behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens is hardly the first, or the last, act of kindness the newly revitalized franchise has embarked in as of late. Thanks to their Star Wars: Force For Change initiative, not only can you enjoy the new age of Star Wars in theaters, you can bid on a chance to take a piece of the modern era home – and for a good cause.
The generosity of Star Wars fans is only matched by their tenacity to celebrate all things involving that galaxy far, far away. So naturally, items like Harrison Ford's Han Solo jacket, or the recent Stormtrooper Helmet being offered as a teaser for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, are going to fetch a pretty penny. If you're feeling generous yourself, you can donate for that helmet, as well as all future Star Wars: Force For Change auctions, at the charity's official website. Oh, and if you're the lucky fan who won Harrison Ford's Han Solo jacket, let us know if a certain un-mendable hole is present in the garment. We're curious.
