Very Special Star Wars Photograph, Once Personal Property of Mark Hamill: A Photo Memoir of His Star Wars Filming Days.

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Youngling
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I would like to draw your attention to an item which is part of an auction lot which goes under the hammer on 02/03/17 at Ewbank's auctions:
https://www.ewbankauctions.co.uk/20170302MZ1-lot-1332-Star-Wars-A-candid-colour-photograph-of-Mark-Hamill-Alec-Guinness-on-the-set-of-Star-Wars-with-contact-details-for-Mark-Hamill-on-reverse-25-front-of-house-cards-/-stills-from-197?arr=0&auction_id=337&box_filter=0&category=&department_id=&exclude_keyword=&export_issue=0&high_estimate=0&image_filter=0&keyword=&list_type=&lots_per_page=0&low_estimate=0&month=&page_no=0&paper_filter=0&search_type=&sort_by=&view=lot_detail&year=

The item in question is a 6" x 4" colour photograph of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Sir Alec Guiness (Ben Kenobi), dressed in their costumes and taken on location in Tunisia during the filming of the original Star Wars movie. I believe that this is an unpublished personal photograph: it once belonged to Mark Hamill: a "holiday snap" memento of his filming days on Star Wars. In the photo, he has his arm around Sir Alec Guiness, posing as one would in a typical personal photograph. On the back of the photo, is Mark Hamill's name, address and phone number (ie it would have been for his residence at the time - December 1977). As far as I know this information is written Mark Hamill's own hand. I have been in possession of this photograph since 1979.

I acquired the photo from a friend at school: in those days I was a very serious Star Wars fan, and when I saw the photo,I realised that it was an extraordinary and unique 'must have' item for the serious Star Wars fan, and thus felt compelled to obtain it at all (reasonable) costs! The first question I asked my friend was how he managed to acquire it (of course the second question was how much he wanted for it!) From what I can remember (from what I was told), around the time Star Wars premiered in London, Mark Hamill visited a restaurant in central London, where, just as it so happens, certain of my friend's siblings happened to work. During the course of the visit, Mark Hamill introduced himself to the staff, and gave this photo to a member of the restaurant staff having first written his name and contact details on the back. I believe the privileged recipient was one of my friend's siblings.

This photo is in itself a piece of Star Wars history, and would make the perfect addition to any "Star Wars Museum"! Thanks for your attention and good luck if you intend to make a bid.
 

x-pack

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Good story and nice photo. I gather that's Mark Hamill's autograph?

With some decent provenance I'm sure bidders would be seriously interested. As it is I'm not sure, but then I'm no expert on personal cast possessions

Interesting though
 

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Youngling
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x-pack said:
Good story and nice photo. I gather that's Mark Hamill's autograph?

With some decent provenance I'm sure bidders would be seriously interested. As it is I'm not sure, but then I'm no expert on personal cast possessions

Interesting though

From the information I was given, I believe that the information is written in Mark Hamill's own hand. On the back of the photo, capital letters are used which would make more sense if you were giving someone your contact details; Mark Hamill's signature on the other hand, which is what I think you mean by "autograph" can be seen here in the picture of my other lot for sale in the same auction:

https://www.ewbankauctions.co.uk/20170302MZ1-lot-1331-Star-Wars-The-Empire-Strikes-Back-First-Edition-paperback-book-1980-signed-to-the-inside-by-Mark-Hamill-Carrie-Fisher-Harrison-Ford-Peter-Mayhew-Dave-Prowse-Anthony-Daniels-Billy?arr=0&auction_id=337&box_filter=0&category=&department_id=&exclude_keyword=&export_issue=0&high_estimate=0&image_filter=0&keyword=&list_type=&lots_per_page=0&low_estimate=0&month=&page_no=0&paper_filter=0&search_type=&sort_by=&view=lot_detail&year=

What is also nice is that Sir Alec Guiness is wearing exactly the same outfit, and holding what looks like the same glasses case in the photo as he does in the published lobby card on the right in the picture of the same auction lot.
 

theforceuk

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Interesting item and different. Will be intriguing to see what it sells for.

Good luck! :)
 

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Youngling
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theforceuk said:
Interesting item and different. Will be intriguing to see what it sells for.

Good luck! :)

Thank you. Indeed I thought long and hard about selling this photo: I was also thinking about keeping it as an heirloom. Over the 38 years in which I have owned it, it has been a source of great pleasure to both myself and to those people to whom I have shown the photo (particularly Star Wars fans) along with sharing the details of how I managed to acquire it. Everyone I have shown the photo to had the same impressed reaction to seeing it as I did when I first saw it: gob-smacked! You really get the sense of it being a personal photo when you hold in the hand. Sometimes, I would often look at Mark Hamill's face in the photo and wonder: 'if only you knew then how successful this film will be!" I now wish to pass it on to another Star Wars fan so that he or she will get the same amount of pleasure from owning it as I did. :)
 

ScruffyLookingNH

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Organagram said:
theforceuk said:
Interesting item and different. Will be intriguing to see what it sells for.

Good luck! :)

Thank you. Indeed I thought long and hard about selling this photo: I was also thinking about keeping it as an heirloom. Over the 38 years in which I have owned it, it has been a source of great pleasure to both myself and to those people to whom I have shown the photo (particularly Star Wars fans) along with sharing the details of how I managed to acquire it. Everyone I have shown the photo to had the same impressed reaction to seeing it as I did when I first saw it: gob-smacked! You really get the sense of it being a personal photo when you hold in the hand. Sometimes, I would often look at Mark Hamill's face in the photo and wonder: 'if only you knew then how successful this film will be!" I now wish to pass it on to another Star Wars fan so that he or she will get the same amount of pleasure from owning it as I did. :)

Well done on the sale. There were some great items that went through. The photo achieved £240 which I think was a fair price for the buyer, maybe a touch on the low side given the uniqueness of the item. It has, however, gone into one of the biggest collections out there, so it's gone to a good home!

The surprise price of the sale (for me) was the signed ESB book. I've seen a number of these and although it is an AMAZING item, it was provenance-lite and still achieved £1,400 plus fees. Yes, there are some of the hardest signatures to get in there but without provenance there will, surely, always be an element of doubt around it.
 
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