End of Summer MarketWatch

Pete writes:

Happy October Space Freaks! What a Summer it’s been, a new refreshed look and layout to the Archive, lots of news and updates on Episode 7 including a title (oh wait that hasn't happened), and of course a lot of great auctions coming up on eBay and transactions happening across shows, and Comic Cons alike. In addition, we've seen a new look and feel to Brianstoys.com and a bit of shift in the overall retail landscape for Vintage.

The auction scene has been unique this year to say the least, with some of the most notable auctions, well falling through completely.  Be sure to check out our editorial on Fett, Vader, and abandoned auctions featured in our “This is Reality” post from last month.

Summer is truly the season for Vintage Star Wars -- it’s easy to say sellers get the most for their auctions in terms of price, and in general it’s the time of the year when a lot of people have the extra time to get rid of loose odds and ends in their collections. Given that, we’re going to change out our format for the month and just focus on the biggest and most extravagant items of the Summer with a countdown of my 5 personal favorite high priced auctions.

1.       Zeb Kellock Salesman Sample AFA with CIB - $50K

Kleb Zellock Salesman Sample

In the end this was the top dollar auction this Summer. Not hard to see why as Salesman samples aren’t exactly plentiful, although that’s been debated on the boards over the past few months. We would be hard pressed not to cover an auction like this even if were for a loose Kleb, given the overall duly deserved love that the 2^nd series of Droids and Ewoks figures have in the collecting community. Unlike last Summer's top auction this is truly a rare, vs. just gigantic in scope. In line with some of the Toy Fair samples of carded POTF years this particular piece has great provenance as it’s been inspected by the high chief Tom Derby himself. Encased it makes a truly stunning showcase item and something that would be at the heart of any of the great collections in existence today.  

2.      Star Wars Hero 3 Pack – AFA85 - $11,000

Star Wars Hero 3 Pack

The 2^nd series of ESB 3 Packs maybe the rarest of all, however it’s hard to top an AFA85 example of one of the 1^st series Star Wars 3-Packs in terms of stature in the hobby today. The 3-packs are tough to find period, and finding one in excellent condition is a true rarity in the hobby as they weren't built that well in comparison to some of the other items released at this time. Here we have Han, Leia and Ben all in one shot -- a great and iconic trio. The Hero Set is one of the more sought after of the original release given the character mix and its overall rarity in comparison to others in the series. Truly a great find for whomever was able to pick it up and with its $11K price tag it shows that the rare and great condition items always hold there value even in the light market we’ve seen recently.

3.      Jawa 12 Back Vinyl Cape – AFA85 - $10,200

Jawa 12 Back Vinyl Cape

Although we’ve put the Vinyl cape Jawa into Hall of Fame status on the MW, I couldn’t help but bring this one up. The figure has been at the source of a lot of discussions over the past year as there seems to be a  resurgence in popularity of the “cheaper” looking version of the figure. This particular piece saw an astronomical price tag at $10K+, and why not, it’s in great condition and was sold at the seasonal peak of the collecting season. Just a great item, and a strong benchmark for anyone looking to snag one of these rarities.

4.      Yak Face POTF MOC – AFA90 - $10,500

Yak Face POTF AFA 90

Our last auction above the $10K mark is really driven by condition being one of only a handful of POTF MOC figures to receive an AFA90. Unlike most however this is Yak Face one of the rarest of the POTF MOC figures, being released only outside of the United States. The figure is arguably the rarest non variant of the first 93 and therefore highly sought after by collectors of the POTF line and MOCs alike. Although he appeared in the film for all of 5 seconds in the background his popularity as a rare figure lead to him being re-released  in the modern era many times over. 

5.   Luke Bespin MOC Palitoy – AFA85  $8,600

Luke Bespin MOC Palitoy

What would a MarketWatch be without something from the non-Kenner family of Vintage Toys. Here we have an ESB Luke Bespin on a Palitoy card. After a really down year for Palitoy items due in main part to some shady sellers and lack of validity of many items, this piece shows that things of this nature are fleeting in the long run. The first and only sub $10K piece in our end of Summer update shows that Palitoy MOCs are still a hot commodity in the collecting community. More than likely going to a Luke Bespin focus collection, this will be probably be the crown jewel for whomever was able to pick it up. Truly a great way to end off of our update and truly one of the rarest pieces to find in this condition this Summer.

That wraps up our update for this month, check back next month for our normal Monthly Updates and be sure to check out all the other great news, featurettes on the new SWCA blog.

Wampa Wampa