Star Wars Vintage Toys: An Exceptional Collectible Franchise
Everyone believes "their" markets are the "coolest" collectible toy markets, but most fingers point to vintage Hot Wheels, vintage Transformers, vintage Star Wars, and vintage Pez. Out of all of these, Star Wars vintage toys are arguably among the most valuable individually, though with the many Pez prototypes and variations available, Pez are probably more valuable in aggregate.
In 1977, Kenner produced the original line of twelve Star Wars action figures, and this entire line is extremely desirable to Star Wars enthusiasts, each netting over two thousand dollars if still in good condition and in their original packaging. The most valuable vintage toy is argued to be Vlix, a short-lived character who appeared in a Braziliam cartoon. Vlix nets well over six thousand dollars if in great condition.
Contributing to the valuation of these figures is the license exclusivity. For example, Kenner Canada, located in Toronto, Ontario, was the Canadian licensee for Star Wars toys in Canada from 1977 until 1985, but only manufactured about ten percent of the figures at that time. That, in addition to the fact that the Canadian releases were packaged with bilingual packaging, adds an interesting twist to those interested in the collectible value of these toys.
Another interesting collectible item available, but incredibly hard to come by, are figure prototypes. Prototypes and test products are very common in other markets, , but much rarer in the Star Wars market.
While many current Star Wars fans are young, and because there has been a glut of new licenses on the market, these newer toys will likely 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 popular right now, but supply is also high, and the law of supply and demand tells us that this will suppress valuations.
There are also other foreign 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 killer movie franchise, a rabid fan base, opportunities to locate unique figures, and much heavier demand than supply. 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 goldmine on your hands! - 2361
In 1977, Kenner produced the original line of twelve Star Wars action figures, and this entire line is extremely desirable to Star Wars enthusiasts, each netting over two thousand dollars if still in good condition and in their original packaging. The most valuable vintage toy is argued to be Vlix, a short-lived character who appeared in a Braziliam cartoon. Vlix nets well over six thousand dollars if in great condition.
Contributing to the valuation of these figures is the license exclusivity. For example, Kenner Canada, located in Toronto, Ontario, was the Canadian licensee for Star Wars toys in Canada from 1977 until 1985, but only manufactured about ten percent of the figures at that time. That, in addition to the fact that the Canadian releases were packaged with bilingual packaging, adds an interesting twist to those interested in the collectible value of these toys.
Another interesting collectible item available, but incredibly hard to come by, are figure prototypes. Prototypes and test products are very common in other markets, , but much rarer in the Star Wars market.
While many current Star Wars fans are young, and because there has been a glut of new licenses on the market, these newer toys will likely 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 popular right now, but supply is also high, and the law of supply and demand tells us that this will suppress valuations.
There are also other foreign 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 killer movie franchise, a rabid fan base, opportunities to locate unique figures, and much heavier demand than supply. 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 goldmine on your hands! - 2361
About the Author:
Jared is a proud collector of Star Wars vintage toys, Pez, and Transformers. He has been obsessing over the Star Wars franchise ever since he played with his first Landspeeder nearly 30 years ago. He writes about his collections on his Star Wars and Transformers figures blogs.
posted by Marcondes Allen at 12:47 AM
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