Merchandise has always been the key to Star Wars‘ success. George Lucas wisely saw the potential for merch when he first created Star Wars, signing a contract that allowed him to profit directly from them. It proved a stroke of genius, and Lucas tapped into those profits to help fund future movies – a smart way of retaining a degree of creative control.
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Nearly 50 years later, Star Wars merch is still incredibly valuable. None more so than Star Wars LEGO minifigures, many of which have staggering prices in the aftermarket. None more so than a single Yoda minifigure dating from 2013, which last sold for a staggering $4,195.38 according to BrickRanker. This officially makes it the most expensive Star Wars LEGO minifigure of all.
The Yoda “I Love New York” Figure Is the Most Expensive Star Wars Lego Minifigure Of All Time
Dating back to 2013, the Yoda “NY I Heart” minifigure was an exclusive distributed alongside the unveiling of the largest LEGO model ever created, a life-size X-wing starfighter. The figure is heavily influenced by Yoda’s design from Star Wars: The Clone Wars; it’s noted for bulbous eyes, enormous ears and white hair, all reused from other Clone Wars minifigures. The only unique piece is the distinctive torso, a base white with “NY I Heart” on it (which, naturally, riffs on Yoda’s speech patterns).
There’s a reason this particular Yoda minifigure is so valuable, and it’s simply that it is very rare indeed. Only a thousand were ever sold, making it one of the rarest Star Wars minifigures of all time. It doesn’t hurt that the design is wonderfully whimsical, making it incredibly attractive.
There’s just one problem that collectors need to be aware of; value drops dramatically if the minifigure has been taken out of its cardboard sleeve and box. Partly that’s because the sleeve is distinctive, with entertaining stats for a five million piece life-size LEGO X-wing model on one side and an advertisement for The Yoda Chronicles on the other. But it’s also because this is one of the most “faked” minifigures of all, so any unbagged examples may well not be genuine. It’s not particularly surprising to see a lot of fakes, given the minifigure’s value.
Ultimately, this is likely to remain a “Holy Grail” minifigure for most collectors. Scarcity is one factor, but there’s more to it than that; any collector who has cashed out for this figure is unlikely to sell it on, simply because it really is so beloved. This is the most expensive Star Wars LEGO minifigure ever made, it’s likely to remain that way, and it’s going to be very indeed to acquire.
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Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
