Among Star Wars collectors, few items are as rare as a Boba Fett action figure prototype, with an upcoming auction featuring the figure potentially setting a record for the item, which has previously sold for $112,929. Current estimates for the toy at the Hakes Auction projects it fetching anywhere between $200 and $500 thousand. In recent decades, original Star Wars figures have grown immensely valuable for a variety of reasons. Not only is this Boba Fett figure so rare because of fans becoming passionate about the character, but also because this version of the toy was never officially released due to a safety concern.
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Boba Fett first debuted in the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special in animated form, before appearing in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. This Boba Fett prototype was produced by Kenner and was made available before the 1980 film through a mail-in offer, yet when the company realized that the missile fired by the bounty hunter could be a choking hazard, the company opted to send out the toy without the promised missile. Some reports claim that only 100 of these prototypes with the included missile were created, with only a few dozen still in existence.
The upcoming auction will feature not just this rare Boba Fett prototype, but a variety of other exciting Star Wars Collectibles.
“The Star Wars section is like an auction within an auction, and the quality is unprecedented,” Hake’s president Alex Winter shared in a statement. “We can’t recall ever seeing a Star Wars selection as impressive as this one in any auction, either ours or anyone else’s.”
Per press release, “Among the Star Wars lots poised for success is a newly discovered Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi 12 Back-A AFA 70 EX+ double-telescoping action figure on a blister card with a white footer. From Kenner’s 1978 Star Wars toy line, this coveted rarity is estimated at $75,000-$100,000. From the same toy line and also estimated at $75,000-$100,000, a Darth Vader 12 Back-A AFA 75+ EX+/NM double-telescoping action figure is one of few carded examples known to exist. Both the Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader are accompanied by notarized CIB LOAs. A third double-telescoping figure from the legendary 1978 Kenner release, a Star Wars Luke Skywalker 12 Back-C AFA 80 NM example on an unpunched card, could reach the $10,000-$20,000 range.”
The auction is set to take place the first weekend of November. You can visit Hake’s Auctions’ official website to learn more.
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