Numlock News: November 13, 2026 • F1, Saber, Rail

Nov 13, 2026

By Walt Hickey

Sword

A historically significant saber hilt of a sword belonging to a prominent warlord has sold for $4.875 million at auction. While the record is murky and ultimately has been the subject of extensive debate and research, the provenance of this particular weapon is alleged to be a specific fight that took place in a barony that hosted a metallurgical site that was once garrisoned with troops from the imperial core. According to the historical record, it played a key role in a somewhat mythical battle which resulted in significant territorial and personnel losses for a rebellion against the local baron and his imperial backers. The weapon, which certain documents purport to be “a light saber wielded by Darth Vader in a duel with Luke Skywalker,” has set a new auction record for a screen-used Star Wars prop.

The Associated Press

Universal

Universal Studios Hollywood is releasing a Diamond Annual Pass priced at $999.95, which grants the bearer front-of-line access, admission to special events and annual admission into the second banana of Los Angeles’ themed entertainment. The hope for Comcast, which has seen Universal Studios Hollywood attendance fall eight percent in 2025, is that it can squeeze more money out of its most dedicated fans, a sign that Universal is finally adopting The Disney Way.

Dani Meyering, Attractions Magazine

Rail

Ukraine’s rail system has been relentlessly targeted by Russia, and since the invasion, Russia has damaged 550 Ukrainian locomotives, the vehicles that are responsible for actually moving trainloads of cargo. In 2026 alone, Russia has damaged 335 locomotives, and as of October, the Minister of Agrarian Policy has indicated that the country’s reserves of locomotives were nearly depleted. Russia has targeted the locomotives because the railcars they tow are comparatively easy to replace. Ukraine’s railways carry 60 percent of its freight and half of its exports.

Oleksandra Poda, The Counteroffensive

Construction

For the first time ever, a robot has autonomously built something in orbit. This is a significant milestone in a part of the orbital economy that many think has strong potential. The DARPA-funded project sought to find ways to build things in space, moving beyond the current paradigm of satellite rollout where large orbiting structures are either assembled by astronauts or launched pre-assembled and spring-loaded to unfold upon release. Launched in March out of Vandenberg Space Force Base, the robot has built a 1.4-meter-radio antenna from a set of tubes, joints and reflective nets.

Leah Crane, New Scientist

Toys

Toy sales are up 20 percent year over year for the period running from January to September 2026, with unit sales up 18 percent. Sports trading cards dragged up sales of “explorative and other toys” by 75 percent over the period, games and puzzles were up 45 percent thanks largely to breakout hits in strategy games like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering and arts and crafts were up 23 percent. Collectibles were up 56 percent while toys tied to a specific IP — licensed toy sales — were up 27 percent.

Katherine Hill, Toybook

Autonomous

In general, people are very comfortable with self-driving metro trains, pretty cool with self-driving trains and slightly more skeptical of self-driving cars or buses. In Britain, 47 percent supported self-driving metros and 45 percent backed self-driving trains, while just 22 percent backed self-driving buses and 20 percent would feel comfortable in a self-driving car. In the United States, 41 percent were comfortable with self-driving metros, 40 percent with trains, 31 percent with cars and 28 percent with buses. Singapore does not understand your gripes; 76 percent are comfortable in self-driving metro trains, 45 percent in a self-driving bus and 43 percent in a self-driving car.

Matthew Smith, YouGov

Formula 1

The average valuation of a Formula 1 team jumped 33 percent year over year to $4.55 billion, according to new estimates from Sportico. If you set aside newcomer Cadillac, the average gain is 39 percent. This means a 197 percent increase from 2023. Just for context, the next-best performing league since 2023 is the NHL, which saw team valuations rise 85 percent, and the NFL, which saw team valuations jump 81 percent. You have to get way smaller to see similar growth, with the NWSL up 179 percent over the period and the WNBA leading the pack at 346 percent over the past two years.

Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico

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Numlock News is written each day by Walt Hickey. Email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news. Every post is entirely by a human; send corrections or typos to the copy desk at copy@numlock.news. If you enjoy Numlock, tell a friend, word of mouth is the only way that independent publications like this one grow.

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