Star Wars memorabilia has been returned to the late Peter Mayhew’s foundation, instead of going to auction.
After an emotional plea from Mayhew’s (who played Chewbacca) wife and an outpouring of support from fans, the auctioneers who were about to sell various scripts and callouts that once belonged to the actor gave the collection back to the Peter Mayhew Foundation, 25. years after the family had to leave them behind in a move.
“Nobody had approached us to discuss it and had they done so I would of course have talked to the vendors,” auctioneer Angus Ashworth told the BBC. “The monetary value of the lot is fairly modest, but knowing how much it means to the foundation, and given that it had been in the attic for over 24 years, the vendors are quite happy to donate it to the foundation to have permanently within their personal collection, not for profit, so that fans can access it in perpetuity.
“I can only apologise to all of the Star Wars fans who had already shown great interest in owning a bit of film history.”
The Peter Mayhew Foundation has not yet made a statement about securing the return of the items.
Featured image: Lucasfilm
