Blockbuster bidding

A simple Imperial Stormtrooper's helmet which played a key role in a film franchise that changed the face of modern movie making is being auctioned to

16:23 14 December 2004

A simple Imperial Stormtrooper's helmet which played a key role in a film franchise that changed the face of modern movie making is being auctioned today at Christie's in London.

The piece of Star Wars memorabilia is expected to fetch in excess of 7,000 when it goes under the hammer at the prestigious auction house.

It was originally used by then recent film school graduate and burgeoning film director George Lucas to pitch the original screenplay to studio executives in 1977.

The rest is history, and while the value of the familiar white and black helmet is unlikely to have appreciated in value in the same way that George Lucas' bank balance has, the article will definitely fetch more than the 40 the current owner paid for it at a car boot sale 12 years ago.

The specific helmet was one of six used by Lucas to sell the film to 20th Century Fox and was later used in both the 1977 original and its sequel, The Empire Strikes Back.

A range of other much-coveted movie memorabilia will go under the hammer today, including the iconic moon buggy from Sean Connery's 007 outing Diamonds are Forever, which is estimated to make a handsome 30,000.

A number of lots from the career of silent film star Charlie Chaplin will also go on sale, including his truncheon from 1917 hit Easy Street and the whistle from 1931's classic City Lights.