Peter Mayhewleft behind a well-beloved legacy when he died in 2019, as the actor best known for playing Chewbacca in the originalStar Warstrilogy. He also left behind an attic’s worth of treasuredStar Warsparaphernalia, which remained unclaimed when the actor’s estate was sold following his death.
25 years after acquiring the property, the owners happened upon Mayhew’s trove ofStar Warsgoods while doing some long-neglected spring-cleaning. Apparently, they figured it could fetch a pretty penny at an auction.
They brought the items to an auctioneer named Angus Ashworth, who recounted the initial exchangein a statement to BBC:
“I was approached by a lovely older couple who were clearing their attic a quarter of a century after moving into their property. The contents of the attic included a bag ofStar Warsmemorabilia, which I thought might be of some interest toStar Warsfans.
When the late actor’s wife got word that the items were being offered for sale, she expressed her lament via the Peter Mayhew Foundation’s Twitter page:
“When we moved out of this house Peter’s movement challenges made it impossible for him to get into the attic to get the rest of these memories. It really breaks my heart to see our belongings auctioned off like this by @angusashworth and @RyedaleAuction1. ~Angie Mayhew”
Once word got back to Ashworth about the originalStar Warsmemorabilia’s true origin, the auctioneer decided to intervene in the interest of honoring Mayhew’s memory and legacy:
“Nobody had approached us to discuss it, and had they done so I would of course have talked to the vendors. 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.”
Related:Peter Mayhew’s Family Furious After Late Actor’s Star Wars Memorabilia Goes Up for Auction
Giving Chew-Back to Society
The Peter Mayhew Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization set up in the actor’s namesake to help bring ‘a new hope’ to those most in need.
Per their website, The Peter Mayhew Foundation is “devoted to the alleviation of disease, pain, suffering, and the financial toll brought on by life’s traumatic events. By providing its available resources directly to deserving children and adults in need, we assist numerous charitable organizations in order to promote and boost their effectiveness and provide support where needed.”
