A plastic Star Wars action figure has become the world’s most valuable vintage toy.
The ultra-rare, hand-painted, 3 and 3/4-inch, rocket-packing Boba Fett figurine just fetched $525,000 (approx. €482,000) at auction. It is one of only two known to have survived the production line in the 1970s, officials at Heritage Auctions announced this week.
The model was created by toy company Kenner in 1979 based on the character, who was set to appear in The Empire Strikes Back.
The toy was not available in stores and was to be sent for free to anyone who could prove they had bought four other Star Wars action figures. However, the toys never arrived after reports that competitor Mattel's missile-firing Battlestar Galactica toys had become choking hazards.
Most of the prototypes were destroyed, but a few managed to survive. This particular figure was salvaged from a box of discarded toys, according to a provenance letter from Star Wars expert and dealer Brian Rachfal.
The sale price was more than double another Boba Fett toy that sold for $236,000 (approx. €217,000) in 2022. The price tag also surpassed the $302,000 (approx. €277,000) price set in 2010 for a special Barbie doll that came with a 1-carat diamond, Heritage said in a press release.
“The rocket-firing Boba Fett action figure long ago became such a mythic icon that people worldwide know about it even if they don’t collect anything at all,” said Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena. “We knew this one had a chance to enter the record books, and it was thrilling to see it become the most valuable toy in the world.”
The auctioneers said the buyer wished to remain anonymous.
The bounty-hunter action figure was among a collection of Star Wars items that brought in a total of $1.66 million at the auction in Texas on 31 May, with a second Boba Fett figure, a Skywalker family lightsaber, and a third draft of George Lucas' screenplay for the first film, when it was still called "The Star Wars: From The Adventures Of Luke Starkiller".
