A lightsaber prop Darth Vader used in the duel where he tells Luke Skywalker "I am your father" is going under the hammer in a Darth Vader lightsaber auction at Heritage Auctions next month. The same blade also appeared in Return of the Jedi, and the auction house expects it to bring in at least $1m.

A prop from the saga's most famous scene

The Vader saber carries a double screen history: it featured in The Empire Strikes Back's reveal duel and was reused in Return of the Jedi. The auction house expects it to fetch at least $1m.

More than two dozen lightsabers in the sale

The Vader piece is one of more than two dozen lightsaber props in the auction, a lineup that spans Star Wars Episodes I through IX along with other films and TV shows from George Lucas's universe.

Among the other blades:

• •Dueling lightsabers wielded by Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith, expected to sell for at least $10,000
• •Dueling lightsabers wielded by Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in the same film, also estimated at $10,000 or more apiece

Record prices and other memorabilia

The sale follows a benchmark set in July, when a lightsaber paired with Luke Skywalker's severed hand from The Empire Strikes Back sold for $3.75m - according to the auction house, the highest price ever fetched for a prop used in a Star Wars film.

Other items in the movie memorabilia auction include:

• •An EE-3 carbine blaster wielded by Boba Fett throughout The Empire Strikes Back, estimated at more than $100,000
• •A Yoda puppet hand used by Frank Oz in the character's original Empire Strikes Back appearance
• •C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels' signed, personal third-draft screenplay for the original 1977 Star Wars
• •A TIE Fighter pilot helmet from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The auction takes place next month at Heritage Auctions, where the Vader lightsaber is expected to fetch at least $1m.