One of world’s rarest Star Wars figures found hidden in loft set to sell for £15,000
One of the world’s rarest Star Wars figures has been found boxed up in a loft – and is set to sell for £15,000.
The Jawa figure, which was produced in the 1970s, was sold for £1.50 when it was first released.
But now the price tag is 10,000 times its original price.
It is estimated there are only up to 12 others around the world.
This isn’t the first of its kind to be sold, with one from the US selling for £27,500 last October.
Another from the UK was also sold for £22,000 three years ago.
The auctioneers have taken into consideration the financial crisis that has hit the UK, leading them to estimate a lower price than others but will not be surprised if it does exceed expectation.
The seller received theirs as a gift from the British toy company Palitoy during the promotion of the Star Wars line in Marvel’s comics.
The current owner served as the art director for Marvel UK between 1974 and 1979 and didn’t realise its value until he brought it in to the auctioneers on a whim.
Jonathan Torode, an auctioneer at Excalibur Auctions, said: ‘He was coming in to sell some comics and artwork and talk to our comic specialist.
‘But when he was going through a box in his loft he found some toys and decided to bring them in too but he had no idea how much they were worth.
‘He just turned up with them and our jaws dropped. I have been a toy auctioneer for a long time and this is the first one I have actually seen in the flesh, so to speak.’
The figure has long been just a myth among collectors, with many believing none existed anymore.
It is believed to be the rarest Star Wars figure in the UK and in the top three in the world.
It was first produced in the US but soon after it was made a Star Wars employee claimed it looked too cheap with its vinyl cape and suggested a cloth cape would work better.
Production quickly stopped and the Jawa was given a cloth cape instead, leaving only a few vinyl ones behind.
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