Star Wars Collectibles That Could Be Worth A Ton Of Money

When the first — now considered the fourth after a handful of prequels — "Star Wars" movie burst from the celluloid in May 1977, it did so in only 42 theaters nationwide. To say that the film's studio, 20th Century Fox, underestimated the popularity of the space opera is an understatement. Within a week or two, the country was gripped by a near-mania for Star Wars. The number of screens showing what's now called "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" exploded to 1,750 across the country — and there were still long lines to buy tickets.

Not unlike how demand for the film itself caught movie executives off guard, so too was the demand for toys and merchandise underestimated. According to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, toy manufacturer Kenner was caught flat-footed and couldn't deliver the figurines and other souvenirs in time for the lucrative Christmas gifting season. Instead, parents could purchase a decorative, yet empty, box that symbolized the future receipt of the actual toy. 

Finally, the approximately 4-inch tall "Star Wars" action figures hit the shelves sometime in early 1978 to great fanfare. Besides the posable miniature characters, fans could snap up stuffed toys, games, and, of course, replicas of the futuristic lightsabre. Nowadays, if you're lucky enough to have some of these almost 50 year old collectibles hidden in the back of a closet, you could be sitting on a five-figure treasure trove.

Needless to say, one of the most popular figures in the "Star Wars" galaxy is humble moisture farmer turned X-wing fighter pilot, Luke Skywalker. About a decade ago, one of these toys from 1978, still in its original unopened packaging, was up for grabs at the storied auction house, Sotheby's. The estimated sales price was set at $12,000 to $18,000, but the mini-Skywalker blew away those predictions. Instead, it sold for a whopping $25,000.

Besides being hermetically sealed in a bubble, the figure also features a rare double-telescoping light sabre in Skywalker's right hand. According to the auction's description, only 20 examples like this are known to exist. This toy, which carries one of the earliest production serials numbers, originally sold for $1.99 way back when.

Like the Luke Skywalker action figure, early examples of baddie Darth Vader and Skywalker's mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, also featured a rare two-piece telescoping lightsabre that was killed off shortly after production started. According to Comic Book Resources (CBR), the former can fetch up to $6,500. Meanwhile, a Jedi-Master Obi-Wan Kenobi with telescoping lightsabre sold for a truly incredible $76,000 at auction in 2018. 

One set of characters from the "Star Wars" franchise that might not immediately jump to mind are the diminutive Jawas. As a reminder, Jawas are the furry humanoids who captured the droids R2D2 and C3PO to later sell them to Skywalker's family, setting the entire plot of the first (or now fourth) film in motion.

When the Jawa toys were initially released in 1978, their mysterious identity-shrouding cape was made of vinyl. However, the company that manufactured the toys, Kenner, felt that the vinyl garment looked "cheap" relative to the tiny toy's $1.99 retail price. While $1.99 might now seem like alot by today's standards, it was equivalent to about $10 back in the days of disco, adjusted for inflation. Hence, the tiny Jawas got a cloth cape to increase their value proposition, making the vinyl cape examples quite rare. Once again turning to CBR, a vinyl-cape Jawa figure sold for $21,000 back in 2018. Nowadays, that figure is expected to pull in more like $25,000.

While you might not have any of the ultra-rare figures mentioned in this article, know that virtually any of the original late-1970s series of figures holds value to collectors. Even the most ubiquitous characters in loose form (without packaging) can easily fetch $30 to $100 or even more in some cases. As well, you might check your plastic tub full of Lego bricks for "Star Wars" sets, because some Legos are rare, too.