A rare and relatively unknown collection of "Star Wars" memorabilia is going up for sale later this year in London: The sketchbooks from renowned costume designer John Mollo who is responsible for the iconic looks from the first two "Star Wars" films, "A New Hope" and "Empire Strikes Back." The drawings include Princess Leia's draped white dress, Han Solo's cowboy aesthetic and Darth Vader's black helmet.The trove of his original drawings, notes and character costume designs are being valued at about $300,000, although the auction house where it's all taking place, Bonhams, expects bidding to be "very enthusiastic," according to Katherine Schofield, Bonhams' head of entertainment memorabilia.George Lucas commissioned Mollo, a self-taught military historian who died in October 2017, to create the ensembles for the "Star Wars" characters, for which Mollo won the Academy Award in the best costume design category in 1978."The sketchbooks are so special, because they reveal the inner workings of the mind of of Britain맥스카지노�s greatest costume designer," Schofield said. "They show John Mollo맥스카지노�s sources of inspiration 맥스카지노� from magazine adverts to military costumes to western films 맥스카지노� as well as the inventiveness of his mind."One of the sketchbooks, dated from April 1975 to July 1976, reveals some of Mollo's very first designs for the looks of Darth Vader, Chewbacca and the stormtroopers. 맥스카지노�Most of the crew thought that the film was a bit odd while we were making it,맥스카지노� Mollo told The Times of London in 2012, according to the The New York Times. 맥스카지노�We doubted that it would ever be shown. And I remember someone asking me what I was doing and I said, 맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s sort of a space western and one of the heroes is a dustbin.맥스카지노� 맥스카지노� The sketchbook also served as Mollo맥스카지노�s "personal production and development diary, containing pages of costume budgets, production notes and meeting notes with ... George Lucas," according to Bonhams. The British auction house estimates this specific book to be worth £100,000 to £150,000, which is roughly $116,254-$174,381. According to The Verge, Mollo worked closely with set designer John Barry to nail the look that Lucas envisioned for "Star Wars."맥스카지노�For Darth Vader, we put on a black motorcycle suit, a Nazi helmet, a gas mask and a monk맥스카지노�s cloak we found in the Middle Ages department,맥스카지노� Mollo recalled. 맥스카지노�We did very little drawing; it was more of a practical make-do amend, because there was already an established style.맥스카지노� The second book up for auction has an estimated worth of roughly $92,968-$139,452. It's dated 1978-1979 and contains designs from "The Empire Strikes Back," released in 1980. It also features Mollo's work on "Alien" and "Zulu Dawn."Included with the book are invitations to the 1978 Academy Awards, where Mollo won an Oscar for "A New Hope." He accepted the award on stage, flanked by actors dressed as stormtroopers, Darth Vader and Princess Leia.맥스카지노�As you맥스카지노�ve seen, the costumes in "Star Wars" are really not so much costumes as a bit of plumbing and general automobile engineering,맥스카지노� Mollo said in his acceptance speech.The designer and concept artist died last year at age 86. He penned several books on military uniforms, and worked as a consultant on films such as "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "Barry Lyndon."맥스카지노�I met with him and he seemed very good,맥스카지노� Lucas recalled in "The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film," according to The Verge. 맥스카지노�I wanted somebody that really knew armor, somebody who was more into military hardware rather than somebody who knew how to design for the stage. I wanted designs that wouldn맥스카지노�t stand out, which would blend in and look like they belonged there.맥스카지노�Mollo had a long and successful career in the film industry, and was recognized for his many accomplishments outside of "Star Wars." His work on Richard Attenborough맥스카지노�s epic 1982 film, "Gandhi," earned him his second Oscar. The auction takes place Dec. 11. Check out some other "Star Wars" items that were extremely successful at auction in the related video above.