A collection of rare early Star Wars figures amassed by a toy salesman over 40 years has sold at auction for £15,000. The hoard of 50 original figures were kept sealed in their original packaging for more than four decades by a businessman who refused to sell them during his lifetime.
He asked his daughters to auction his collection after he died so they could benefit from the proceeds and he passed away last year following a battle with cancer. It included original Kenner and Palitoy sealed blister pack Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Boba Fett and Yoda figures plus other boxed vintage Star Wars toys.
The collection was only expected to make £5,000 when it went under the hammer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, in Lichfield, Staffordshire, on Wednesday. But it smashed its estimate to fetch a total of £15,130 - leaving his daughters 'completely gobsmacked'.
Three ‘Mail-away’ Boba Fett figures, sealed in original plain packaging – designed to have been ordered through the post via a special offer – sold for £3,300. Another sealed 1983 Kenner figure of Boba Fett tying from Return Of The Jedi, sold at £1,600 while a Palitoy figure of Luke Skywalker made £1,350.
One of his daughters, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I feel sure my dad would have been just as shocked as us. I could not believe the Boba Fetts. It was very emotional watching it – the Force was very, very powerful!
"My dad was a big kid at heart and loved his toys. Dad was a massive Star Wars fan and we have loved it all our lives as well.
“He was very proud of his Star Wars things and he had them for 40 years. When we were little we certainly weren't allowed to play with these ones – it was 'look but don’t touch'.
"As a rep, dad was invited to see the original movie when it was first screened in the UK. He also met (Darth Vader actor) David Prowse at a convention and got him to sign a photograph to us, which we treasure. When he was diagnosed with cancer he told us he wanted to auction them because he wanted his daughters to have the money."
Subscribe here for the latest news where you live
Hundreds of bidders online took part in the auction, with others placing telephone bids or watching the sale live at The Tamworth Auction Rooms.
Auctioneer Ben Winterton said: “It is a wonderful collection which will enthral Star Wars fans. With original Kenner and Palitoy figures it is the hidden detail that really adds value, from the picture on the front and how many figures are displayed on the reverse of the cardback. Condition is also key and you can see that this collection has been absolutely treasured.”
From beginnings as the eponymous 1977 film, Star Wars rocketed into a pop culture phenomenon and is one of the highest grossing media franchises ever. The original movie Episode IV: A New Hope, was followed by Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original trilogy.
Between 1978 to 1985, American toy company Kenner produced and sold Star Wars action figures with more than 300million units sold during the original run. In the UK, the licence was held by Palitoy, with the company importing the figures for packaging in Britain on Palitoy-branded cardbacks.
