Serious collectors of pop culture toys, merchandise and memorabilia don’t get enough credit. They really don’t. These people spend their hard-earned cash on stuff that brings them—and usually only them—childish joy. Whether it’s for nostalgic reasons or something else entirely, collectors are truly persistent and have a deep affection for their chosen subject. One of the biggest group of collectors are those invested in the universe of Star Wars.
Now there are a number of different Star Wars fans. Either you’re a die hard fan, i.e. someone who love the films relentlessly and really don’t have anything bad to say about any of them. Or, you’re the occasional fan who enjoy the films, but you’re not exactly sleeping outside of the ticket office days before a new Star Wars tickets are on sale. I won’t even get into the ”fans” sitting on the internet complaining about how bad the recently made movies are. And lastly we have the most dedicated of them all: the collectors. These people have a love for Star Wars that goes way beyond just the films (and animated series, novels, graphic novels, board games, video games and spin-off features). They love the universe, the galaxy far, far away, of Star Wars so much that they’re willing to spend just about anything to get their hands on a certain toy, memorabilia or other kind of merchandise.
To really understand this kind of Star Wars connoisseur—calling them fans is simply not giving them enough credit—we had a lovely chat with Edd Grant, a gentleman who’s been running the Star Wars Forum UK for 15 years, and has been a collector of Star Wars carded figures since the mid-nineties. We spoke to Mr. Grant about how the internet changed everything for collectors, the rocket launching holy grail of Star Wars toys, and why we’ve already seen the peak of both interest and price when it comes to Star Wars collectibles.
It has now started to settle down again following the release of Episode IX. I think 2016-2018 was the peak for both interest and prices.
Barnebys: Hi Edd. How did you get into collecting Star Wars? Edd Grant: I started collecting in 1994 when the ’Digitally Remastered’ VHS videos were released. I saw the films for the first time in years, and was immediately hooked again. That led me to tracking down second hand figures and ships in local antique stores and Sunday markets.
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What’s the culture like among Star Wars collectors? The social side is the biggest draw to many. There are lots of big collector events, like Celebration and Echo Live that attract thousands of collectors. It can be competitive, and like any large social groups there can be conflicts, but most people get along pretty well.
Is it common for collectors to focus on something particular, like toys or merchandise, or does everyone collect everything? There are many different type of collectors—some will buy anything with Star Wars on it, others will stick to a particular line or perhaps country, and some people even only collect one specific character, which we call focus collecting.
So what are you after right now? I mainly collect vintage European and British carded figures. I’m trying to complete my runs, and it’s become very difficult to find the ones I need. So hard, in fact, that money is not the obstacle—I simply can’t find them. One is the infamous ’tri-logo’ General Madine, which sells for thousands of pounds—when they come up for sale at all.
How has the interest in Star Wars collecting changed since you got into it 25 years ago? There have been many peaks and troughs. New films generally increase interest—there were huge price rises both when the prequel trilogy and latest trilogy were released. However, it has now started to settle down again following the release of Episode IX. I think 2016-2018 was the peak for both interest and prices.
Very interesting. So what’s the holy grail of Star Wars collectable items? There are items more scarce than the prototype Rocket Firing Boba Fett, which is usually considered the holy grail. It is believed there are over 100 of those in existence, but there are even production items that are rarer. Value is driven not only by rarity but also demand. Everybody wants a Rocket Firing Boba Fett, hence the high prices they go for. But to answer your question, Rocket Firing Boba Fett is arguably the holy grail for many collectors due to the hype surrounding it.
How much fighting is there over Star Wars items at auctions? Collecting is fiercely competitive. If two collectors want something badly enough, they can sell for considerably more than its market value or estimate. I have had to overpay for things in the past to secure items I wanted that did not frequently come up for sale. There are also usually at least a few items that go under the radar, so it’s certainly with putting some low bids in.
What are the most sought after items? This will vary by country, but in the UK the British Palitoy carded figures are highly sought after, especially the rarer ones. In fact, the first Palitoy Boba Fett, released on a 30 back card, is arguably rarer than the Rocket Firing prototype, they can sell for tens of thousands.
When I started collecting in the mid 90s, the grail items were Yak Face, the vinyl caped Jawa, and Blue Snaggletooth.
What usually goes way beyond the estimate? Boba Fett items, because he is such a popular character. If you’re a prospector, it’s hard to go wrong buying vintage Fett toys. Although there are of course no guarantees, and you still need to do your research. The items most likely to smash estimates are those thought to exist in very low numbers. Some are one of a kind as far as we know.
Are there items that, when you started collecting, have gone up or down dramatically, or have they stayed equally sought after and valuable? Yes, collecting habits have definitely changed, especially when the internet opened up the international market. When I started collecting in the mid 90s, the grail items were Yak Face, the vinyl caped Jawa, and Blue Snaggletooth. The latter two were not available in the UK—although it was later proven that the Jawa was released here in small numbers—and without eBay or internet forums, it was very hard to find these USA figures while living in the UK.
Is it the stuff from the very first movie that’s most popular, or the whole trilogy, or the prequel or sequel trilogies?
The ”first 12” from 1978 are definitely the most iconic figures. The original Luke, Han and Leia are always popular and relatively expensive. But there really are no rules, it all comes down to scarcity and demand so you might be surprised by some of the items that are now valuable. They can be pretty obscure. The original trilogy vintage items are probably most popular; however, as collecting is driven by nostalgia you will meet 25 year old collectors who were kids when the prequels came out, and they may have no interest in the 70s-80s figures.
Text by David Johansson