Star Wars Vintage Toys: An Exceptional Collectible Franchise
There are many opinions on the “coolest” collectible toy markets, but most objective collectors agree on vintage Transformers, vintage Pez, vintage Star Wars, and vintage Hot Wheels. Out of all of these, Star Wars vintage toys are considered among the most valuable individually, though with the massive amount of Pez prototypes and variations on the market, Pez are probably more valuable in sum.
In the late seventies, Kenner produced the original line of 12 Star Wars figures, and this entire line is highly desirable to collectors, each netting over $2,000 in great condition and in their original packaging. The most valuable vintage toy is argued to be Vlix, a short-lived character that appeared in a 1983 cartoon. Vlix runs well over $6,000 if in great condition.
Contributing to the value of these toys is the exclusivity of the license. For example, Kenner Canada, located in Toronto, Ontario, was the Canadian licensee for Star Wars toys in Canada for a decade beginning in the late seventies, but only manufactured about ten percent of the figures at this time. That, in addition to the fact that the Canadian lines were printed with bilingual packaging, adds a unique twist to those interested in the collectible value of Star Wars toys.
Another unique collectible item available, but extremely hard to come by, are figure prototypes. Prototypes and test products are very common in other markets, e.g. the collectible Pez market, but much more rare in the Star Wars market.
While many Star Wars fans are young, and because there has been a rush of new licenses released, these newer figures will probably never attain the valuations that existing vintage toys attained. For example, a new release features Star Wars toys that transform from characters like Darth Vader into objects like the Death Star. These Transformers figures mashups are selling right now, but supply is also high, removing one of the valuation factors from the equation.
There are also other overseas releases, with the Japanese Star Wars figures being very unique, and therefore, very desirable and very collectible. European toys are also popular and regularly confused with Canadian releases, due to their bilingual packaging. The easiest way to tell these releases apart is by viewing the address on the package, which will clearly indicate the country of origin.
With Star Wars toys, you have a rabid fan base, a killer movie franchise, and heavy demand for vintage toys. All of these factors lead many professional collectors to believe that Star Wars vintage action figures will retain their value for the long haul.
So dig in your attic, uncover that old Speeder Bike or TIE Fighter, and see if you have a collectible on your hands!
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I was on Yahoo and found your blog. Read a few of your other posts. Good work. I am looking forward to reading more from you in the future.
Tom Stanley