Star Wars Vintage Toys: The Coolest Collectibles Available!

Opinions vary on the "coolest" collectible toy markets, but most objective collectors agree on vintage Star Wars, vintage Transformers, vintage Hot Wheels, and vintage Pez. Out of all of these, Star Wars vintage toys are considered among the most valuable individually, though with the plethora of Pez variations and prototypes on the market, Pez are probably more valuable in sum.

In the late seventies, Kenner produced the original line of twelve Star Wars figures, and this entire line is highly desirable to collectors, each netting over two thousand dollars if in their original packaging and in great condition. The most expensive Star Wars 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.

Adding to the valuation of these figures is the exclusivity of the license. As an example, Kenner Canada, located in Toronto, Ontario, was the Canadian licensee for Star Wars figures in Canada for a decade beginning in the late 70's, but only distributed about ten percent of the figures at that time. That, along with the fact that the Canadian releases were packaged with bilingual packaging, adds an interesting twist to those interested in the collectible value of these figures.

Another interesting collectible item available, but incredibly hard to find, 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 granted, these newer toys will probably never attain the valuations that current vintage toys attained. For example, a new toy release features Star Wars toys that transform from characters like Darth Vader into objects like the Death Star. These Transformers figures mashups are hot right now, but supply is also high, removing one of the valuation factors from the equation.

There are also other foreign releases, with the Japanese Star Wars figures being very unique, and therefore, highly desirable and highly 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 high demand for vintage figures. All of these factors lead many professional collectors to believe that Star Wars vintage action figures will hold their value for the long haul.

So dig in your attic, uncover that old TIE Fighter or Speeder Bike, and see if you have a goldmine on your hands!

Jared is a vintage toys and games enthusiasts, and focuses much of his collections on vintage Pez, Star War vintage toys, and vintage Transformers figures. You can read about the history and backstory of each of these classic product lines on his blogs devoted to the subjects.

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