A lightsaber used by Darth Vader in two “Star Wars” movies sold Thursday for nearly $5 million, setting a world auction record for any collectible from the franchise. The prop appeared in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” according to the auction account, as reported by The New York Post.

The lightsaber sold for $4.875 million during the Ultimate Star Wars Auction held by Heritage Auctions. That price placed the prop above every other “Star Wars” collectible previously sold at auction, according to Heritage Auctions.

Its connection to one of the franchise’s most significant confrontations gave the sale a particularly dramatic focus. The lightsaber was used during the climactic Cloud City duel in which Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker, “I am your father.”

The scene appeared in “The Empire Strikes Back,” one of the two films connected to the prop. The lightsaber was also used in “Return of the Jedi,” extending its screen history across both movies identified by the auction organizer.

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Heritage Auctions described the $4.875 million result as a world auction record for any “Star Wars” collectible. The distinction covers the wider category of memorabilia associated with the franchise, rather than lightsabers alone.

The Thursday sale also established a separate record specifically for a “Star Wars” prop used on screen, according to the auction organizer. That achievement put the Darth Vader lightsaber ahead of another major prop sale conducted only months earlier.

In July, Heritage Auctions sold Skywalker’s lightsaber and severed hand effects rig from “The Empire Strikes Back” for $3.75 million. The Darth Vader lightsaber’s $4.875 million result surpassed that earlier auction figure.

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Both record sales involved material tied to “The Empire Strikes Back.” The July lot combined Skywalker’s lightsaber with the severed hand effects rig, while Thursday’s record setting item was the lightsaber used by Darth Vader.

The Cloud City duel formed the central connection highlighted for the Darth Vader prop. During that confrontation, Vader delivers the revelation to Luke Skywalker that has remained directly associated with the lightsaber offered at the Ultimate Star Wars Auction.

The event extended well beyond the record setting Darth Vader item. Heritage’s Thursday auction featured material from “Star Wars” Episodes I through IX, along with pieces connected to additional films and television shows.

Lightsabers were a substantial part of the public offering. In addition to Darth Vader’s lightsaber, Heritage Auctions assembled 27 other “Star Wars” lightsabers for the auction.

That brought together a broad selection of the franchise’s recognizable props while the Darth Vader lightsaber delivered the event’s largest reported milestone. Its final price reached $4.875 million and secured both record distinctions cited by the organizer.

One record applied to all “Star Wars” collectibles sold at auction. The other applied more narrowly to props used on screen, a category in which the previous benchmark had been the $3.75 million July sale.

The nearly $5 million result therefore displaced Heritage Auctions’ own earlier record involving Skywalker’s lightsaber and severed hand effects rig. Both items came from “The Empire Strikes Back,” but Thursday’s sale also involved a prop used in “Return of the Jedi.”

The record setting lightsaber stood among material spanning all nine numbered “Star Wars” episodes and other film and television productions. Heritage Auctions identified the sale as part of its Ultimate Star Wars Auction.

At $4.875 million, the Darth Vader lightsaber finished Thursday’s auction with the highest price reported for any “Star Wars” collectible. It also became the most expensive prop used on screen from the franchise to sell at auction, according to the organizer.