Star Wars Action Figure Collectibles

Fear is the path to the dark side. But fear not, for these days Star Wars action figures and toys and plentiful. Whether you are a collector, reliving your past, or picking one up for your child, you have seemingly endless action figures to choose from.

The original movie in 1977 and the ones that followed in the 80s were huge hits, and spawned mass production of toys and merchandise. When they were released in stores, these toys and action figures were worth what a regular toy is today, minus inflation of course. But since the popularity of Star Wars never slowed down, in fact it seemed to explode, the estimated value and worth of these action figures has skyrocketed.

Before I start talking about specific figures, I must add something crucial. The first three Star Wars movies from the 80s and the latest 3 in the 2000s are quite different. The toys from the latest three are worth not much compared to the older ones. The older ones have a cult following and also because of their age, the Star Wars action figures are worth much, much more.

The original Star Wars action figures were produced by Kenner the toy company. From 1978 to 1985, they sold over 300 million action figures, in 90 different unique styles. These were plastic, quite small, commonly smaller than four inches tall, and had a few joints that could move. They were in clear plastic packaging with a product card for a backing.

In 1977, the very first toys ever released from Kenner were of the following main characters. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2D2, Chewbacca, C3PO, Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Jawa, Sand People, and the Death Squad Commander. In 1978 they started releasing action figures of other characters in the movies with less significant roles, but still dearly sought after. These ones include Greedo, Death Star Droid, Boba Fett and more. The Star Wars toys eventually began to feature the same characters, but in different outfits and positions based on scenes from the movies, for example Han Solo wearing a Bespin outfit.

If you are interested in the worth of a Star Wars toy you have in your possession, unless you have one of the rarest, your toy is probably only worth 5 to 10 dollars. The top three most valuable Star Wars action figures are as follows.

1. Telescoping Lightsaber Darth Vader, 1978. This figure had a telescoping lightsaber accessory that would rise out from the arm, and then a thinner piece would further rise out. This broke easily, however, if you have one that is in pristine condition and not broken, it can fetch you as much as six thousand dollars!

2. Vinyl Cape Jawa, 1978. The very first wave of these released has a thin vinyl cape. However, on the second wave, Kenner decided to put a real cloth cape so buyers felt they were getting their money's worth, as this toy is much smaller than the others. If you have the original with the vinyl cape, it is worth as much as two thousand.

3. Rocket Firing Boba Fett, 1980. A funny story about this one. Kenner actually officially denies releasing it. It was thought that a rocket that launched off his back could be dangerous for a child so the next edition had it glued to his back. They are out there and exist, and are worth one to two thousand.

Whatever your influence may be for being interested in Star Wars Action Figures and toys, it is the collectors and fans that keep the movement alive. As Yoda would say, "Always in motion is the future". I for one, hope to keep Star Wars alive for the future for my own children to enjoy as much as I have.