Update: The eBay listing for Carrie Fisher's passport has been removed. Tom Topol, a passport expert who is in contact with the seller, tells us that eBay took it down citing its personal-information policy. Its government-document policy states, "Expired U.S. passports that were issued more than 20 years prior to the date of the sale" are allowed. Since Fisher's passport was issued in 1983, it seems to comply. The passport remains for sale on Topol's website. We are keeping tabs on this and will report back when we find out more.
This story was originally published on January 12, 2017, at 11:50 a.m.
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Carrie Fisher had an adventurous soul. The passport issued to her on May 26, 1983 — the day after the release of Return of the Jedi — proves it. Over a 10-year period, she collected visas and stamps from the U.K., France, Greece, Sweden, Singapore, China, Egypt, India, Australia, and more. There's even a "trekking" stamp from Nepal.
Now, the vintage document is up for auction on eBay with a current bid of $2,025; it ends on January 15 at 11 p.m. The listing notes that 10% of the final proceeds will benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Fisher's preferred charity. The actress, who died on December 27, 2016, at the age of 60, was an outspoken advocate for mental illness and herself struggled with bipolar disorder and addiction.
Tom Topol, an expert who has been researching passports and their history since 2003, runs the website passport-collector.com, posted the listing for Fisher's passport. "Celebrity passports are a special collection field, and A-list celebrities always fetch high prices on the collectors' market," Topol told Condé Nast Traveler. "Over 100 celebrity passports in total were auctioned in the last 10 years, which included Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Whitney Houston, and Elton John, to mention a few. Prices go up to six figures."
For a glimpse into Princess Leia's past, check out the photos below.