MAY the fourth is upon us and as fans commemorate the Star Wars franchise, they could be in for a big surprise.
Today marks all things Star Wars thanks to the date, “May the fourth”, sounding similar to the well-known ]phrase, and what better way to celebrate than by receiving a huge prize.
Some fans might be sitting on a pile of cash if they have the extremely rare Star Wars toy gathering dust on their shelves.
A plastic Jawa, produced by Palitoy in 1978, could now sell for an astronomical £30,000.
The 2.23ins figure was first bought from Hamley’s in London for a meagre £1.25 and is one of only 10-15 left worldwide.
It has been preserved in its original packaging for the past 46 years with even the sticker of its price tag still intact.
The packaging was hole-punched so the figure could be hung up on a shelf in the store.
The graded toy was released shortly after the first Star Wars film, starring Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, shot up to fame.
Its latest owner, a British private collector, acquired the rare relic five years ago and consigned it to C&T Auctions in Ashford, Kent.
The figure has the sought-after vinyl cape, which was swiftly swapped out for a cloth one since it was less expensive to produce.
As a result, vinyl caped figurines have become increasingly valuable over the past 40 years.
This particular example is expected to start a bidding war at the auction on May 8.
Glen Chapman, toy specialist at C & T Auctions, said: “The vinyl cape version of the Jawa was the first issue example of this figure, short lived and replaced by the cloth cape version.
“This is only one of a handful of examples known to exist upon the Palitoy card back.
“It is a graded example which appeals to collectors after the best they can buy.
“In the UK the Jawa is the rarest Star Wars figure and probably the utopia of the market here.”
The same figurine sold for an eye-watering £21,000 earlier this year, and another one went under the hammer for a whopping £26,670.
Jawas, which have been in Star Wars since the first film, are 3ft tall humanoids who conceal their faces and comb the deserts of Tattoine in search of discarded scrap.
The world record price for a piece of Star Wars memorabilia is a Boba Fett figure which fetched £188,000 in Pennsylvania in June 2022.
How to find out if your toys are valuable
Still got your childhood toy collection in a box in the loft? It could be worth a small fortune.
BBC Bargain Hunt expert Tim Weeks, is a toy specialist at Wessex Auction Rooms.
He says that TV & film-related toys are always the most sought after.
Star Wars, Batman, Transformers, James Bond, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony and Thundercats are some of the big names.
Crucially, they don’t even have to be in mint condition.
“I have regularly sold these figures for hundreds and sometimes thousands when on their original backing cards, but even a collection of unboxed figures can fetch big money,” Tim says.
Most toys from the 70s, 80s and 90s will not be in mint condition and there is still a fantastic market of buyers wanting them.
If you want to think ahead, though, and invest in toys to sell in the future, it’s definitely worth your while keeping them pristine.
While all forms of condition will be saleable, give yourself the best chance possible to maximise the return by keeping your investments as near mint as you can.
Also, take into account how the toy will display when deciding what you should buy.
