Josh Levine
- Mar 6, 2020
- 6 min read

Star Wars Toys have the Force !

Updated: Mar 16, 2020

Hi Guys, Gals & Jedi, it's Josh from Josh Levine Speaks and I know you are going to love today's post. Or Episode One with no Jar Jar Binks. Its the latest and greatest news in the World of Star Wars Action Figures....at auction that is...and before I get started...if you are new to my blog or YouTube channel...I do tend to focus on The Auction World and The Secondary Market and its subculture.

Basically the World of Downsizing, Liquidation, Estate Sales and Yard Sales. I promise, you will always learn something. And of course, I'll sprinkle in some Useless Trivia so you can impress you friends or just annoy them. So...If this sounds good to you, before you leave, Subscribe & I will alert you to each new episode. Give this post a "heart" - like and share if you would and i'd love if you'd Leave Some Comments Below...that way I know what you like and want more of. So thank you, and I hope you enjoy.

So lets dive in...As a lot of you Subscribers already know, I got in to this business selling vintage toys and board games. And as I said several times before, Star Wars just keeps amazing me. I have been telling people to sell their collections before the bottom drops out, over and over again and they just keep performing. Making me look bad each and every time. It would be like me telling you to sell your google stock when it hit $250 back in the 2007. You know, just "take the win," but you'd hang me when it hit $1500 like it did just a few months ago.

I tell you, in most genres of toys, I would have been correct. I always say, strike while the irons hot....meaning when you 1st hear crazy auction prices going on....sell....before everyone else sells, and flood the market and drive down prices....but Star Wars seems just keep rising...even when I don't think it can go any higher, it seems too.... I believe its because the love of the Force has just bridged, so many generations. And there for more generations of collectors...

I still feel like you are playing Russian roulette if you have an amazing collection & you are still sitting on it, but that's just me. The question is, and has always been with Star Wars, when the next new series of movies or adaptations come out, will the original 1970s and 80s figures strike again. Or Strike Back!

So let me tell you what's been going on...and when you hear these prices, you may really take note to what I am saying. And full disclosure, The following are actual auction results of Kenner Star Wars Action Figures. I am only focusing on the 3-3/4" action figures that you could have bought at the store or mailed away for. I tried to avoid duplicate figures of the same character so you had a good cross sample of the crazy. I believe all of these records come from Hakes in York PA. They are one of the Leading Collectible Toy Auctions in the World. I don't mean for this post to be a commercial for them...and I am sure I am not being paid, but I can send them my mailing address for donation.... but in past few years it seems they have had the corner on this market....certainly they have had the best collections represented.

So here we go...lets focus on 10 shall we.

(10) A 12 Back Carded Sand People (why is not a sand person ? but anyway) that was Graded AFA75 EX+/NM brought just under $11,400 this past November 2019 at a great Hakes Auction at their facility in York PA. It was a No Punch Card.

Okay, there was a ton of Action Figure Collector Nerd language in there so let me unpack it for you.

A 12 Back means, that pack of the packaging only featured the 12 figures that were available at the time of the release. Definitely, one of the most popular with collectors and generally command the highest prices.

Also, there are instructions on the 12-backs for using the telescoping lightsaber feature that was originally planned for Luke, Ben, and Darth.

This version or saber feature was dropped, but the text still made it onto the packaging. Kind of like an error.

Next is Graded AFA75EX....what's that ? that's a grading system by the Action Figure Authority.

Their grading is generally accepted as the final word on condition for collectors.

And last, the term no punch. As you may know, they cardboard cards on action figures would have been hung on display, usually on a hook through the card. Finding an unpunched card means it never hit the the store display rack. A premium for sure.

Have a look here and you see the "little tabbies" punched out on not punched out.

Okay, now that you got that, I am going to move quicker with the nerd terms...

(9) A "STAR WARS - JAWA" 12 BACK AFA 85 NM+ (with VINYL CAPE) brought $18,300 at Hakes in July 2018...that alot of Jawa

(8) Next an AFA 95 graded MINT 12 Back Princess Leia Organa brought $25,000 in March 2018 and we keep climbing...

(7) This one, is an odd duck, it an Empire Strikes Back Walrus Man Sample Card with a Return of the Jedi Bib Fortuna figure. It was Graded AFA80 NM and brought $28,500 this past November 2019 at Hakes in York, Pa. Again....think of the packaging like an error.

(6) This guy is a rare Star Wars THE POWER OF THE FORCE mail away Prototype of ANAKIN SKYWALKER. He brought $29,600 in November 2017.

The mailaways required you to cut proof of purchase corners out of the card board backs of other figures, in this case, 5 figures and they would mail you a figure back in return. Cool marketing idea but brutal disfigurement of the cards & what would have been quite the collectible if you hadn't cut it, makes you at least glad, that the mailaways have some value ! Anyway, no use crying over spilt milk.

Here's some cut card photo examples -

(5) This my only "non Kenner" figure and its a Brazilian....from the STAR WARS DROIDS TV Series Collection, it's VLIX by GLASSLITE, not Kenner, Graded AFA 60 EX and brought $38,500 in Nov 2018.

Known to be the rarest of all Star Wars figures released. The figure, Vlix, was an obscure character from the very short-lived Droids cartoon. It was scheduled for release in the US as a part of Kenner's second series of Droids action figures, but, due to the cancellation of the show, it was never issued. A super rare find but call your Brazilian friends. How do you say "Check out those thrift shops" in Brazilian ?

(4) Now we hit more of the classic 12 Backs again. A Carded Luke Skywalker Graded AFA95 MINT w/Double Telescoping Yellow Lightsaber, that rare version I was telling you about earlier...brought $42,900 in November of 2017 at Hakes in York PA. As you'll see, these rare "double telescoping Light Sabers" are big money.

(3) & Just a few months ago now, a rare 12 Back Carded Darth Vader, Graded AFA75 EX+ w/ his Double Telescoping Lightsaber brought just under $62,800 at Hakes. This one is a great example of me "being wrong...." When one sold for $29,000 a few years back in England...I sounded the alarm to sell...we just hit cray cray town....but $62,800 proves....they were not done climbing...

& (2) At the same sale, The 12 Back Carded Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi....that was Graded out at AFA70 EX+ again with the Double Telescoping Lightsaber brought $64,900....

So here we are @ (1) and here's some crazy auction awesomeness....and good fun if you are now desensitized to those early outrageous prices....this is my last figure of this post...known as The “Holy Grail” of Star Wars Toys, the Boba Fett J-slot rocket-firing Prototype which did not disappoint. At $185,850....Hakes has a new Star Wars Action Figure Record on their hands.

Sweet Lord Vader ! And where do prices go from here ? Are you feeling bullish on the Star Wars Stock Market or like me....Bearish of Squeamish for those sitting back and waiting.

I do want to end with this....The average retail value for a common Star Wars action figure is $2 to $5. The average loose vintage figure is worth $10 to $20. Sealed Star Wars action figures produced between 1977 and 1985 are what you are looking for and worth between $100 and $200....but some in their are worth in the $1000s....or more as you have just learned....do you home work. There are great sites out there and I got those links for you below.

Also, Mark Bellomo's Guide and New Guide is coming out soon....

Anyway, There you go.....I hope you enjoyed reading or watching that as much as I enjoyed making it...please like, click subscribe, share with a friend and place your comments below. Please feel free to tell me and of your show ideas....all my contacts and social media links are below. Let me know if you'd like a video on Star Wars Props at Auction and other toy Genres....Star Trek, Legos, Transformers....you tell me.

Until next time my friends and may the force be with you !

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LINKS TO STAR WARS REFERENCE SITES & AUCTIONS