Everyone believes "their" markets are the "coolest" vintage toy markets, but most objective collectors agree on vintage Transformers, vintage Pez, vintage Star Wars, and vintage Hot Wheels. Out of these, Star Wars vintage toys are considered among the most valuable individually, though with the myriad Pez prototypes and variations on the market, Pez are likely more valuable in sum.
In 1977, Kenner produced an original line of 12 Star Wars figures, and this entire line is extremely desirable to collectors, each netting more than $2,000 if still boxed and in great condition. The most expensive vintage toy is argued to be Vlix, a short-lived character who was featured in a Braziliam cartoon. Vlix nets well over six thousand dollars if in great shape.
Contributing to the value of these toys is the license exclusivity. For example, Kenner Canada, located in Ontario, held the license for Star Wars toys in Canada for a decade beginning in the late seventies, but only manufactured about ten percent of the figures at this time. That, in addition to the fact that the Canadian releases featured bilingual packaging, adds a unique twist to those interested in the collectible value of these figures.
Another unique collectible item available, but incredibly hard to find, are toy prototypes. Prototypes and unfinished products are very common in other markets, e.g. the collectible Pez market, but much rarer in the Star Wars market.
While many Star Wars fans are young, and because there has been a glut of new licenses released, these newer toys will likely never attain the valuations that existing vintage figures attained. For example, a new release features Star Wars toys that morph from characters like Darth Vader into objects like the Death Star. These Transformers figures mashups are popular 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 toy lines being very unique, and therefore, very 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 high demand for vintage figures, top-quality vintage figures, an excellent movie franchise, collectible opportunities, and a rabid fan base. 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!
No comments:
Post a Comment