Meet Gus Lopez: Inside the Collection
The force is definitely with this Star Wars collector! Take a look!
May. 5, 2024
There are Star Wars collections, and then there is Gus Lopez's out-of-this-world Star Wars collection, boasting over 10,000 pieces of the rarest and hardest-to-find memorabilia from the franchise.
The force is definitely with this Star Wars collector, who has been a fan of the films since he was a kid. Gus doesn't just collect the obvious; he loves the thrill of the hunt and has mastered finding unique, one-of-a-kind items, costumes and prototypes.
Some of these iconic Star Wars collectibles include C-3PO's body parts, Han Solo's screen-used costume and, of course, the Death Star.
Gus loves the nostalgia of collecting and uses his connection to the films to fuel his hunt for all things Star Wars.
He has one of the largest collections on the planet—or, we should say, in the galaxy. It's time to go to a galaxy far, far away and take a look at this massive Star Wars collection! But before we do a deep dive into his massive collection, be sure to tell us which Star Wars film is your favorite in the comments below!
1. Han Solo's jacket from Empire Strikes Back
This jacket belongs to Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford, in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.
It's his screen-used jacket and can be seen in a majority of the film. Do you remember this iconic costume?
As far as our collector knows, there were only two screen-used jackets used in the film, and he is lucky enough to own one of them.
He paid a pretty penny for this piece, but to him, it will always be priceless. According to our expert, this piece would be worth around $500,000 today.
2. Princess Leia costume from Return of the Jedi
This is another iconic piece of Star Wars history! This is Princess Leia's costume from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
Gus has assembled this piece over time by acquiring different parts from various places. Originally, the costume was put up for auction by its creator, Richard Miller.
According to our expert, this Princess Leia costume would be worth around $200,000 today. A big price for so little fabric!
3. The Death Star model
Even people who aren't Star Wars fans will probably recognize this iconic piece from the franchise!
This is a 3-D model of the Death Star from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
The Death Star was used extensively in the first film, which came out in 1977. It was a huge part of the film and has become one of the most recognizable props of all time.
Gus said he would never sell it, and his goal is to share this piece of Star Wars history with the public.
Our expert put a value of $1,000,000 on this iconic piece.
4. Star Wars costume design book
Leave it to Gus to collect one of the most rare and unique pieces of Star Wars history! He had to travel to a galaxy far, far away to find this one.
This book is filled with dozens of costumes from the Star Wars franchise. It's essentially the bible of Star Wars costumes.
It was created by John Mallo, the costume designer for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars - A New Hope.
It contains costume designs for Han Solo, Storm Troopers, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and more. John Mallo went on to win an Oscar Award for Costume Design in 1978, and for good reason!
According to our expert, the best way to maximize investment on this sketch book would be to take it apart and sell the pages individually. Although, Gus would never sell this rare item.
Our expert valued this item at $250,000.
5. C-3PO Costume
As Lisa said: "This feels somewhat creepy!"
These are C-3PO's body parts. C-3PO is a droid who was created by Anakin Skywalker and appears in all nine episodic films.
Gus has many of the pieces and is only missing a few. Once completed, Gus will be the only collector with a full C-3PO costume in private hands.
He is currently on the hunt to put the costume all together! This incredibly rare piece is worth around $1,000,000.
Now, we just need to see an R2-D2.
6. Star Wars cereal box collection
Gus has an entire room dedicated to cereal boxes because he loves collecting in that category. He currently owns around 2,000 boxes.
For Gus, cereal boxes are a fun category to collect because they can be hard to find, even for the best completionist. Half of collecting is about the hunt!
At Collector's Call, we're all about what's in the box, and this time, the item is the box. Gus has one of the best cereal box collections in the world.
Do you remember waking up and eating a bowl of C-3PO's?
Gus said he empties all of his cereal boxes before putting it on display. Instead of saving it for himself, he gives it away to local food banks. So, his Star Wars collection doubles as charity work.
His entire cereal box collection has a value of $50,000.
7. The total value of his Star Wars collection:
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