{"id":247,"date":"2016-03-24T16:01:32","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T22:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/estatesales.org\/thegoods\/?p=247"},"modified":"2016-09-01T08:48:43","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T14:48:43","slug":"the-force-of-star-wars-collectibles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estatesales.org\/thegoods\/the-force-of-star-wars-collectibles","title":{"rendered":"The Force of Star Wars Collectibles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Star Wars<\/strong> is more than a series of films. It\u2019s a cultural phenomenon made in part by marketing thousands upon thousands of action figures and collectibles to generations of consumers. It\u2019s safe to say, Star Wars has become ingrained in the collective consciousness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the whole marketing campaign that made Star Wars so unique because it was really the first toy line to be marketed like baseball cards – like, collect them all! You\u2019d get a figure, and it would have on the back of the package a list and pictures of all the different figures with numbers, and you\u2019d always save an extra package to check off which ones you had,\u201d said Matt George,<\/strong> who has been collecting Star Wars figures since he was a child in the 80s. Back then, he says, toys cost around $2.99 apiece.<\/p>\n

Star Wars creator George Lucas was a smart negotiator. According to The Daily Beast<\/a>, Lucas revealed, \u201cWhat happened after that was Star Wars came out, then we went to a toy company and helped them build these little action figures . . . and they became very successful.\u201d Lucas went on to explain how he negotiated to retain merchandising rights, which is what ultimately built his fortune \u2014 not the money made from the movies.<\/p>\n

\"Star
These 12 inch Star Wars figures are displayed out of the package, which is called a loose collection, or loose display. Photo by Clint Sceeles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kenner\u2019s Original Vintage Star Wars Line<\/h2>\n

While it may be called A New Hope<\/strong> now, back then it was just Star Wars, and when it came out in May 1977, it was a huge hit. The toys depicting Star Wars vehicles and characters from the film also took off. After that came The Empire Strikes Back<\/strong> in 1980 and Return of the Jedi<\/strong> in 1983. The Star Wars figures made during this time period by toy company Kenner<\/strong> are referred to as Vintage Star Wars (not to be confused with The Vintage Collection, which is a line that came later in 2010-12), and are highly sought after today, in or out of the original packaging.<\/p>\n

\"Star
Vintage Star Wars figures L-R: Yakface, Blue Snaggletooth, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader. Note Luke\u2019s yellow lightsaber and Vader\u2019s vinyl cape. Photos by Max Berendt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI remember going into Toys R Us, and it’s not like it is now where you have a couple racks or just a section. You’d have both sides of an entire aisle, and every peg would be absolutely so full that they [the toys] would be on the ground. They made, I believe, close to 30 million of these figures from 1977 to 1985. So, there were a lot,\u201d said George.<\/p>\n

\"Star
Star Wars Vintage Action Figures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vintage Star Wars collectibles are highly sought after because of their monetary value (some figures can sell as high as $15k in \u201cmint in box\u201d condition), and, of course, for the nostalgia attached to them. Whether you were born in 1975 or 2005, Star Wars reminds people of childhood. The story is timeless, which is why Ryan Myers<\/strong>, a 17-year-old Star Wars collector with two rooms full of 90s Star Wars collectibles, counts an original Yoda from 1980 as his most prized figure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has all its accessories. The only thing missing from it is its original packaging. I totally came across it by chance. I didn’t know it was so old, but I got it for a sale price at a local comic book store. And after I bought it, I realized it was rare. They knew – but I didn’t know. If it hadn’t been on sale, it would have been a little over $25 for a little figure that’s about an inch and a half tall. I got it for about $16 – sale price,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n

\"Vintage
Original 1980s Yoda with utility belt, gimer stick, and orange snake accessories. Photo by Ryan Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Power of the Force 1995 – 2000<\/h2>\n

In the the summer of 1995, Hasbro<\/strong> (which purchased Kenner in 1991) released a new line of toys called Power of the Force<\/strong>. Because there hadn\u2019t been any movies released since 1985, the Star Wars toys had come to a standstill, until then.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first of the novels started coming out, and then the video games started coming out, and Star Wars kinda started to make a little comeback,\u201d said George, referring to the otherwise \u201cdark\u201d period after 1985.<\/p>\n

The new 90s Hasbro Star Wars action figures stood out for their \u201cbuffness,\u201d compared to the original line, and included new figures like Princess Leia in a slave suit, a Sandtrooper, and Han Solo dressed up like a Stormtrooper, among others.<\/p>\n

\"Star
Power of the Force action figures in the original packages. Photo by Ryan Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LEGO Star Wars<\/h2>\n

At the end of the 90s, Lego Star Wars<\/strong> was released in 1999 with The Phantom Menace<\/strong>, and has released toys with each release of the Star Wars prequel movies and Star Wars Clone Wars<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Lego
Lego Star Wars figures L-R: General Grievous and Jabba\u2019s Sail Barge scene featuring the Sarlacc Pit, Star Destroyer, “These aren’t the Droids you’re looking for,” scene with Han, Luke, Captain Phasma and Imperials. Photos by Ryan Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Clone Wars 2008 – 2013<\/h2>\n

The Clone Wars<\/strong>, or what I call “that Star Wars cartoon,\u201d started in 2008, and the toy line reflects the cartoonish look of the characters’ animated versions. While purists may not like it, The Clone Wars kept the story alive for another generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in my generation a lot of it has to do with if the parents knew about Star Wars, they let their kids know. The introduction of the Clone Wars TV show in 2008 exposed a lot of kids to Star Wars without the need for parents introducing their kids to it. My parents weren’t really into it. The roles are kind of switched around for my family. I got into it and I\u2019m trying to get my father and mother into it,\u201d said Myers.<\/p>\n

\"Star
The Clone Wars collectibles stored in plastic. Photo by Clint Sceeles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Star Wars Rebels 2014 – Present<\/h2>\n

Star Wars Rebels<\/strong> premiered in October 2014 and was Disney’s first foray into the Star Wars world. Produced by LucasFilms but appearing on the Disney Channel, Rebels occurs five years before Episode 4: A New Hope, aka Star Wars.<\/p>\n

\"Lego
Lego Star Wars Rebels figures L-R: Stormtrooper, Ezra Bridger, C1-10P “Chopper”, Hera, Zeb and Kanan. Photos by Ryan Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Force Awakens<\/h2>\n

Unless you\u2019ve been living under a rock, you probably know the latest Star Wars movie comes out this December. The Force Awakens<\/strong> will be the first film produced by Disney<\/strong> and not LucasFilms<\/strong> – since Lucas sold his company in 2012. While this might be shocking to some, it\u2019s safe to say most of the fans are excited and eager to see how Disney handles their beloved Star Wars characters.<\/p>\n

And of course collectors have cleared room on the shelves for more Star Wars memorabilia – including Clint Sceeles<\/strong>, 19, who runs the largest Star Wars fanpage on Instagram, Star Wars Daily<\/strong>. He considers himself a \u201cmodern\u201d collector, with a Star Wars collection mostly from 2005 and up. Sceeles made sure he got in on this year’s Force Friday<\/strong> action, a marketing event produced by Disney that released the new toy line in relation to the upcoming movie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was second in line at Toys R Us, and I managed to pick up a lot of The Force Awakens merchandise. I stayed up all night! I went to about five Wal-Marts, two Targets, and Toys R Us,\u201d Sceeles said.<\/p>\n

\"Star
The Force Awakens collectibles L-R back: Poe Dameron, Rey & BB-8, Finn, Chewable, Resistance Trooper. L-R front: Rey\u2019s Speeder, Boba Fett Necklace, Resistance X-Wing. Photo by Ryan Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Star Wars Collectible Variants<\/h2>\n

Part of the fun of collecting is the specialized knowledge you acquire, not only about the story and characters, but interesting lore about the Star Wars figures. After all, toy companies are made up of humans, and humans are prone to error. So it\u2019s no surprise there were a bunch of toys released with imperfections or variations. These collectibles are known as variants. What this means is more fun for the collector, who can spend hours researching his\/her next find.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the first Han Solo that came out. They call him Small Head Han. They looked at that figure and they realized, that doesn’t really look like Harrison Ford! And so it was replaced with a larger head version,\u201d said George. “And there are at least 12 Bespin Lukes, with variations of his boots, hair color, and facial expressions.<\/p>\n

A lot of that stemmed from the fact that you had toy companies such as PBP<\/strong>, Palitoy<\/strong> and Mecanno<\/strong> – those toy factories made figures exclusively in Europe, so those figures tend to be a pinch different than the average Kenner figures that were made.<\/p>\n

Then you have what’s called the Lily Ledy<\/strong> line – and that was the Mexico toy run, and those are gonna be the wildest and craziest figure variations. And again those are very highly sought after by collectors,\u201d said George.<\/p>\n

\"Star
Variants of vintage Star Wars figures L-R: 3 Original Lukes, 2 Bespin Lukes, Red Snaggletooth and Blue Snaggletooth (Han, Chewy, and dead Greedo in the background), and Big Head Han with Little Head Han. Photos by Matt George.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Search of the Holy Grail: Taiwan Vader<\/h2>\n

Serious Star Wars collectors are always searching for that next obscure find. Whether they have to scour estate sales<\/a>, hit up garage sales or yard sales, or spend hours scrolling eBay, part of the fun – and responsibility – of being a collector is finding the Holy Grail. For a lot of people, it\u2019s the Blue Snaggletooth<\/strong>, or Vinyl-caped Jawa<\/strong>. For Matt George, it was Taiwan Darth Vader<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me three years to find what’s called a Taiwan Darth Vader. There\u2019s a Made in Hong Kong, there\u2019s a Hong Kong, and there\u2019s a Made In Taiwan. And then there\u2019s a Darth Vader figure same as all of them \u2014 but on the leg it just says Taiwan. [Out of 1.5 to 2 million] Taiwan Vader looks completely different and they only made a handful,\u201d said George.<\/p>\n

\"Rare
Taiwan Vader’s leg simply says \u201cTaiwan\u201d instead of \u201cMade in Taiwan.” Photos by Matt George.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Valuing Star Wars Collectibles<\/h2>\n

How does a new collector distinguish which collectibles are valuable? Besides the vintage Star Wars collectibles, usually the things that are worth the most are the most flimsy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ones that are the most valuable are the cardboard playsets because they got destroyed, so very few people have those. And if you get one that’s AFA [Action Figure Authority<\/a>] graded I\u2019ve seen them sell for $3000 in the box. The stuff that’s really valuable is the crap no one really wanted, or the stuff people destroyed, or was fragile like cardboard. And the weapons and accessories – because every kid lost those,\u201d said collector Max Berendt<\/strong>, who began his collection as a kid back in 1977, but now takes more of a casual approach to collecting.<\/p>\n

While in his late 30s and grappling with the fact that “collecting” might just be a fancy word for “hoarding” (and makes moving difficult), Berendt still holds onto his nearest and dearest collectibles, including the original Creature Cantina playset in the box, pictured here.<\/p>\n

\"Mos
Top: Scene from the Mos Eisley Cantina from Episode 4. Photo by Matt George. Bottom: Original Creatures Cantina cardboard playset still in the original box. Photo by Max Berendt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tips for Finding Star Wars Collectibles<\/h2>\n

With so many Star Wars action figures out there, how do collectors ensure against fakes? There are a few ways, including the \u201cfloat test\u201d but watch out! This test isn\u2019t always fool-proof.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spotted fakes recently that will float, and they’re as fake as can be. I think the only real way to know is to be somebody like myself, who’s been around these things for 30 years and have touched thousands of them. I can pick one up and can tell you just by picking it up that it’s fake. Just the feel. Usually what I find is that they’re lighter. They just feel cheap. They make a different noise. If you took a real weapon vs a \u201crepro\u201d weapon and dropped them on a hard wood floor, they\u2019d make two totally different noises. But that takes a really trained ear to distinguish that difference,\u201d said George.<\/p>\n

The best places to find Star Wars collectibles are at estate sales<\/a>, garage sales, and yard sales (check affluent suburban neighborhoods to find the best ones, preferably households that had kids in the 80s), at websites like eBay and RebelScum<\/a>, or by connecting with other collectors online. Happy hunting \u2014 and may The Force be with you!<\/p>\n

\"Star
Action figures from the Black Series, a favorite toy line of Star Wars collectors. Photo by Clint Sceeles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A very sincere thanks to our contributors for sharing their collections! Find them on the Web at:<\/strong><\/p>\n