'Star Wars' auction expected to fetch $100,000s ahead of 'The Rise of Skywalker'

LONDON -- Classic souvenirs from the "Star Wars" movie series have been put up for sale by auction house Sotheby's in the U.K. ahead of the highly anticipated release of "The Rise of Skywalker".

Posters, figurines and replica helmets are all available to buy in the online auction until bidding closes at 9 a.m. ET Dec. 13.

The current bidding has already seen thousands of dollars spent in the auction, with the most expensive item so far being a Prototype Imperial Stormtrooper helmet from 1976.

The iconic helmet is one of the few pre-production helmet designs created in 1976, a year before the release of the debut film in the series.

The prototype helmets were manufactured by Andrew Ainsworth, based on initial designs made by Nick Pemberton. The current bid stands at $29,000, but that is expected to rise to as much as $60,000 by the time bidding closes.

"Nick did the initial clay to get a feel for a direction, and I sculpted the real thing in my bespoke method of metal powder and resin, which allowed the sculpt to also be the vacuum forming mold," Ainsworth told the auction house. "I went on to adjust front and back mold to accommodate assembly and added ear pieces to cover the joint and give a more menacing look, enhanced by blister eyes. The prototypes with the serrated backs were then abandoned, but vital for the development."

Other memorabilia available to buy include a classic 1976 poster signed by Mark Hamill (estimate $6,500-$10,500), a 1980 Millenium Falcon toy display (estimate $9,000-$13,000) and a C-P30 helmet from 1983 (estimate $19,500-$32,000).

Over 100 lots from the franchise are available to buy. It is the second "Star Wars"-themed auction Sotheby's has hosted, after 600 action figures, props and autographed pieces sold for over $500,000 in 2015.