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 the late seventies, Kenner produced the original line of twelve Star Wars toys, and this entire line is highly desirable to Star Wars enthusiasts, each netting more than two thousand dollars in great condition and in their original packaging. The most valuable vintage toy is argued to be Vlix, a short-lived character who was featured in a 1983 cartoon. Vlix runs well over $6,000 if in great condition.

Contributing to the valuation of these figures is the exclusivity of the license. For example, Kenner Canada, located in Ontario, held the license for Star Wars toys in Canada from 1977 until 1985, but only distributed about ten percent of the figures at that time. That, along with 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 interesting collectible item available, but incredibly difficult to find, are figure prototypes. Prototypes and unfinished products are relatively common in other markets, e.g. the collectible Pez market, but much more rare 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 toy lines being very unique, and therefore, highly 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 figures. These factors combine to lead many professional collectors to believe that Star Wars vintage action figures will retain their valuations for the long haul.

So dig in your attic, uncover that old AT-AT Walker or Landspeeder, and see if you have a collectible on your hands!