Monday, March 26, 2018

Star Wars Community Digest Issue #6



Tommy and Yehuda write:

 Welcome to the latest issue of Star Wars Community Digest, your place to get summaries about what's going on in the Star Wars collecting community across all of the forums and Facebook groups. We will present the news and current events each week, so that you don't miss anything. Please be aware that many of these are closed Facebook groups though, which means you will need to join them in order to read the conversations. But don't worry, it's free and almost instantaneous.

Participating Groups and forums:
Star Wars Displays and Advertising
Star Wars Records and Tapes
Star Wars 12 Backs and Early Vintage Collectors Group (A New Hope 1977-79)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Vintage Collecting Group 1980-1982
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi Vintage Collecting Group 1983 - 1985
Star Wars: POTF (Last 17) Vintage Collecting Group 1985
Star Wars: The "Dark Times" Collecting Group (1985-95, Droids & Ewoks, etc)
Jabba's Court - Vintage Star Wars Collectors Group 1977 - 1988
The Imperial Commissary - 1977-1985 Vintage Star Wars Toys, Buy Sell Trade
Power Of The Force Coins
Star Wars bootleg and knockoff collectors
Star Wars Micro Machines and Action Fleet Collecting Group
vintage star wars action figures
The RebelScum vintage forum
Jawa's Outpost (UK and EIRE Star Wars trading group)
Echo Base Vintage Star Wars Trade/Sell/Buy

If you are an administrator or moderator and would like your community to be a part of this feature, please let us know. We are always happy to include additional groups/forums in our summaries, but be aware that not every group can be featured every week.

In any case, lets get right down to it and get everyone caught up to date on what they may have missed last week...

The King of Burger King Displays


Burger King had some of the most colorful and interesting displays during the vintage era. And they sold enough Star Wars glasses to fill up every collector's eBay and Craig's List searches forever. Surprisingly though, never before seen store displays from the restaurant are still showing up. In this thread from the Star Wars Displays and Advertising Group, a recent auction of BK displays is discussed, including a translite which collectors have never seen!

The full thread can be found here:
Burger King Displays Thread

Further Reading on the Archive:
Burger King Promotional Material in the Archive Database

Han Hoth Has a Holster!


Many of the more creative kids realized that the Han Hoth action figure has a functional holster. In this thread from The Imperial Commissary group, collectors debate if this feature was sculpted purposely or whether it was a happy accident. Other less known action figure features are discussed as well, including the swiveling claw arm on FX-7 and the functional backpack on Leia Boushh.

The full thread can be found here:

I Wanna be a Toys "R" Us Kid: 1948-2018


With the recent announcement of the upcoming closing of Toys "R" Us, there has been an increase in appreciation and nostalgia for the mega toy store franchise. The previously much maligned large orange price stickers, which often obstruct a portion of the cardback imagery, are given their due as a piece of toy history in this thread from the Empire Strikes Back group.

The full thread can be found here:


Insuring  a Collection Against Damage or Theft


With the skyrocketing values placed on Star Wars collectibles, the Empire Strikes Back group discusses options for insuring a collection. The discussion includes the benefits and risks of using a pre-existing home owners or renters insurance policy as compared to taking out a collector specific insurance policy.

The full thread can be found here:

Further Reading on the Archive:
Surely You Must Ensure to Insure 

An “Early Bird Certificate” in Question


An Early Bird Certificate with a different perforation pattern is found and is compared to known original examples in this thread from Star Wars 12 Backs and Early Vintage Collectors Group. The authenticity of the certificate is evaluated by collectors.

The full thread can be found here:

Further Reading on the Archive:

The RocketFett Mailer


While technically a thread from 2016, it was bumped last week because of the recent RocketFett auction results. And since it's a relatively slow news week, we will count it as a current event (especially since it's awesome!).

The thread does a good job of explaining what it's about, but to put it simply: a member of the community found a vintage RocketFett in an original mailer box. Exactly how it would have been shipped to kids, had the mechanism not been removed. If that doesn't make you want to read about it, I don't know what will.

The full thread can be found here:
Rocketfett in a Mailer Box

Further reading on the Archive:
Pawn Stars: Rare Boba Fett Action Figure Prototype
Tommy Garvey and John Alvarez Firing a Vintage Prototype RocketFett
Rocket Firing Boba Fett (L-Slot Version) First Shot
Boba Fett and Battlestar Galactica - The Firing Missile Crisis

Our Star Wars Community Digest Time Capsule Thread for this Issue:

The Continuing Saga of People in the 80s Trying Desperately to Explain Luke and Vader's Relationship.  In this week's episode: Vader is Luke's Mom!

Darth Padme.  She hates sand too, but mainly the emo guys who keep whining about it all the time.

The 1980s came up on people fast. They were just finally getting used to it being the 70s, and then all of a sudden that effort was wasted. The surprise details of Luke's parentage were just the start of what would undoubtedly be a decade of baffling mysteries for the public.

As the geeks, soldiers, future millionaires, and university professors who made up the then fledgling ARPANET sat around and looked for something to talk about on their futuristic electronic gizmo (it's like HAM radio! But for written things!) the fact that Vader was Luke's father was one of their absolute favorite topics to dwell on. As we've seen in past issues of the Community Digest Time Capsule, anyone who had a theory, access to computer equipment then worth tens of thousands of dollars, and had five minutes to kill, would launch into detailed explanations as to why Vader couldn't be Luke's father. (Because why not? What else are the country's greatest minds going to talk about using the most astonishing technological leap in humankind since the printing press? Nuclear disarmament? Heck no! That's not what the internet is for! The internet is for venting about plot twists in movies you don't like, making obscure Tolkien references, and rating the attractiveness of TV stars.)  Most of the arguments as to why Vader wasn't Luke's father hinged on actual lines of dialogue from the films, and the conclusion would be kind of reasonable... if Lucas cared at all about that. But in a space opera, everything is merely transitory, always in motion until something better comes along.

But in 1982, before the release of Return of the Jedi settled the matter forever (no one argues with Yoda, that puppet can solve paternity questions faster than Maury Povich), fans could still log onto the net-sf.lovers newsgroup and dream. Let their imaginations run wild, trying desperately to explain how it could all make sense, no matter your point of view. Among the most interesting theories you'll see presented in that proto-internet community: Darth Vader is Luke's mother!

Case closed!  The evidence is all there, people!  Get your heads out of the sand (it's course, irritating, and it gets everywhere)! 

Here are some sample threads:
luke - vader relationship
Darth Vader and Luke
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Thursday, March 22, 2018

MarketWatch Special: Hake's Americana Auction - Round 2

Pete writes:

 Happy March, Space Freaks! So here we are just a few months later and another amazing round of items has sold off through Hake’s Americana. The second installment brought some great prices, but honestly not as many stories, and not quite as much excitement as the first auction did in 2017. Let’s face it, outside of a few pieces there wasn’t a lot of stuff to talk about here. Yes, I talk about 12 Backs and other more common pieces on the MarketWatch, but with an event like this it’s all about the rare and unique, and over all outside of 5-6 pieces the auction fell a bit flat. 

TOP PRICES REALIZED:

Boba Fett Rocket Firing Prototype AFA 85 – $86,383 – The top prize of the day was going to come down to one of two pieces: the Rocket Firing Boba Fett or the Double Telescoping Darth Vader. As you can see here, the Fett won by leaps and bounds. I’d dig into this with more coverage but it’s just not worth your time or mine. This was a fluke, and whoever paid double the high end of going rates won themselves a great prize, at a horrible price. The typical going rate for an RF Fett is around $25K-$40K, given there are around 100 RF Fett’s that have surfaced over the years and that this number hasn’t gone up that much over time. You can even circle back to Tomart’s Price Guide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles from the 1990s and see a value that’s pretty close to the going rate today -- partly because what was once thought to be a few, is now known to be a lot more.


Darth Vader Double Telescoping MOC AFA 70 – $64,900 – Significantly rarer than the RF Fett, the DT Darth Vader was one of the top 5 items that was referenced by Hake’s when they first marketed the series of auctions. With only 6 examples being graded by AFA over the years, this was one of the rarest production items up for grabs across the auction series. So rare in fact, that we haven’t even been able to cover the sale of one on the MarketWatch since it’s inception back in 2012. With a price point that is out of reach for most collectors, it’s actually surprising to say that this piece didn’t obtain an even higher price point given its rarity. But what held this back was the grade. As we’ve seen from other auctions historically as well as other items listed here, the grade is having a major effect on the price of the item.      


Princess Leia Organa MOC AFA 95 – $29,500 –  If you didn’t think that grades drive the price of an item, look no further (and if you need to look further go back to the results from the first Hake’s auction of this collection and look at the Luke Skywalker AFA 95 listing). Like her sibling, the original Leia reached a new high for the 12 Back version of this character. Needless to say, the best of the best gets the best price.


Hero Set 3 Pack MISB AFA90 – $14,684 – Here on the MarketWatch we love Star Wars 3-Packs, and the Hero Set is one of the staples of the line.  Again, condition drove the over all price for a piece that would typically sell under $10K for an 85 or lesser condition item. This marks the mid point in terms of the 3-Packs listed as part of the auction, meaning we will have double the amount in the next several rounds as they sell off the full collection.


Admiral Ackbar POTF Proof Card AFA 90 – $9,204 – The rarest item listed came at the fraction of the price of items that are much more readily available. However, rarity doesn’t always drive demand. In the case of this Mon Calamari, the end price was actually much higher then anticipated even with its rarity. Given the trajectory of proofs in the hobby, it’s not surprising that one of the rarer POTF proofs achieved this price, though it should not be looked at as a benchmark in the hobby for this specific character or for any POTF proof in general.   


Darth Vader Collector's Case AFA75 – $14,160 – To round out the update we have another super rare production item. Unlike its brother that carried Vader, Luke and Yoda, this version of the Darth Vader Collector's Case packaged with IG-88, Bossk, and Boba Fett is extremely hard to find. Adding in the trio of figures and their over all popularity, it’s not overly surprising that this piece was able to reach the peak it did, even with its lower grade. If condition is a driver of price -- and I believe we’ve established that -- it would be interesting to see what an AFA80 or AFA85 would have brought for an ending price.   


That’s it for this update. Keep checking back for more updates on the Archive and our next round of coverage of the Hake’s Star Wars auctions coming later this year.

Wampa Wampa,
Pete
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Monday, March 19, 2018

Star Wars Community Digest Issue #5


Tommy and Yehuda write:

 Welcome to the latest issue of Star Wars Community Digest, your place to get summaries about what's going on in the Star Wars collecting community across all of the forums and Facebook groups. We will present the news and current events each week, so that you don't miss anything. Please be aware that many of these are closed Facebook groups though, which means you will need to join them in order to read the conversations. But don't worry, it's free and almost instantaneous.

Participating Groups and forums:
Star Wars Displays and Advertising
Star Wars Records and Tapes
Star Wars 12 Backs and Early Vintage Collectors Group (A New Hope 1977-79)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Vintage Collecting Group 1980-1982
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi Vintage Collecting Group 1983 - 1985
Star Wars: POTF (Last 17) Vintage Collecting Group 1985
Star Wars: The "Dark Times" Collecting Group (1985-95, Droids & Ewoks, etc)
Jabba's Court - Vintage Star Wars Collectors Group 1977 - 1988
The Imperial Commissary - 1977-1985 Vintage Star Wars Toys, Buy Sell Trade
Power Of The Force Coins
Star Wars bootleg and knockoff collectors
Star Wars Micro Machines and Action Fleet Collecting Group
vintage star wars action figures
The RebelScum vintage forum
Jawa's Outpost (UK and EIRE Star Wars trading group)
Echo Base Vintage Star Wars Trade/Sell/Buy

If you are an administrator or moderator and would like your community to be a part of this feature, please let us know. We are always happy to include additional groups/forums in our summaries, but be aware that not every group can be featured every week.

In any case, lets get right down to it and get everyone caught up to date on what they may have missed last week...

When is Restoration the Right Move?


A warped Empire Strikes Back store display bell was successfully flattened to improve its appearance and then sent for grading, which prompted an interesting thread in the Star Wars Displays and Advertising group last week. The discussion centered on when restoration is appropriate for a vintage Star Wars collectible. Topics included restoration, preservation and their impact on the value and desirability of a collectible. Different techniques for pressing a warped display were also discussed including professional paper restoration services. The general consensus among collectors is that whichever technique of restoration is used, it needs to be documented and the information passed on to future owners.

The full thread can be found here:

Further reading on the Archive:

How Significant is Grading on a Unique or Rare Pre-production Piece in a Hyper-condition Conscious Hobby?


Follow the different perspectives on the importance of a grade given to a rare pre-production piece compared to a mass produced toy. And discover for yourself if the unique nature of a
one-of-a-kind piece obviates the need for a grade.

The full thread can be found here:

 Additional reading:

A Limelight Worth a Look: Store Displays



Relive the excitement of the vibrant advertising that enamored a generation of children. Joshua Buell limelights his impressive collection of vintage Star Wars store displays in a thread from the Star Wars Advertising and Displays group, featuring over a dozen early and rare displays pictured together.

The full thread can be found here:

Further Reading on the Archive:

A Boxed Set of Kenner’s Earliest Star Wars Store Displays Discovered


Before Kenner had time to create their own store displays, they repurposed the large Star Wars Standees produced by Factors, by applying a blue Kenner label to the base of each one, and shipped them to retailers. For the first time, a set of these early displays was recently found in their original Kenner shipping box.

The full thread can be found here:

Further Reading on the Archive:

RocketFett Sets New Record


As you might recall from Issue #3 of the Star Wars Community Digest, Hake's Auction House auctioned off a rare Rocket-Firing Boba Fett prototype this week. While the RocketFett has achieved a mythic status in the hobby -- despite it being far more common than just about every other type of pre-production item -- they are usually sold through private sales. As such, the entire community was glued to their screens to see what it would bring at an open and public auction.  And that answer was... (drum roll please)...  $86,383.47!

Needless to say, it's not every day that a vintage Star Wars toy nearly tops $100,000, so the collecting community exploded with threads discussing it.

One such thread can be found in the Imperial Commissary group, here:
RocketFett auction results discussion 

Boba Fett and Battlestar Galactica - The Firing Missile Crisis

Ethics of Selling Through PMs


As the hobby gets larger, one of the issues which comes up again and again is ethics. The community is always growing and in that growth, longtime hobby practices and standards are being forced to change. And whenever there is change and new ways of doing things, there is bound to be controversy.

As such, it's always interesting when collectors try to establish where ethical lines are now being drawn and why. Such was the case in a thread in The Imperial Commissary last week. In this case, it's discussing whether or not it is ethical to sell privately through PM, rather than publicly in the sale thread itself.

The full thread can be found here:
Selling Through PM

Further Reading:
Hypothetical Ethics Question: Do You Have to Sell to the First Person Who Replies? 


Friend or Foe?  Either Way, it's Delicious!


As recurring readers of The Star Wars Community Digest have probably realized, we are big fans of things we've never seen before. Such was the case in the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Vintage Collecting Group last week, when this awesome Empire Strikes Back candy display from Australia was shared.

The full thread can be found here:
ESB Candy Display

Further reading on the Archive:
List of candy items in the Archive Database

Our Star Wars Community Digest Time Capsule Thread for this Issue:


Every now and again, there is a debate that no one remembers even happened. Such was the case with this debate from 1982.

To set the stage for you, in 1982 Star Wars was not available in a recorded form, in any video format. So, fans couldn't just watch it in the comfort of their living room as many times as they wanted. The Trilogy (or the first 2 episodes of it, anyway) existed only in theaters, and fans had to go see it as many times as they could, because once it left theaters, it might not return. And after that point, it would exist only in their memory. That divorce between fandom and having 24/7 access to the basis of that fandom though, occasionally produced some rather odd results.

The Star Wars fan community (the collecting hobby did not yet exist as a separate entity) was having several debates in 1982.  Mainly:

1. Is Vader really Luke's father? 
2. Who is "The Other"? 
And finally 3. Is it "Clone Wars"?  Or "Colon Wars"?

Since ANH was no longer available to fans to check, the debate was apparently a real one. And because there seemed to be no other evidence of "clones" in ANH or ESB, the "Colon" version of the line was evidently gaining acceptance with some in the community. They even decided that "Colon" must be short for "Colonial," and that Obi-Wan and Luke's father must have been Colonial Soldiers.

Of course, fans could have obviously just checked the script or read the novelization, but logic has never stopped a Star Wars fan for long.

Here are a couple of threads from the net.sf-lovers newsgroup, which briefly discuss the debate.

Darth Vader = Good Guy
Clone Wars in SW/ANH and SW/TESB

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Thursday, March 15, 2018

Toy Show Special: Your 2018 Toy Show Guide






















Pete writes:

 Happy March Space Freaks!

As winter turns to spring it’s time to talk about one of my favorite topics in collecting: the Toy Show scene. Each year thousands of fans make it to local shows and comic cons across the country. These events are some of the few face-to-face toy exchange events that still take place and they come in all shapes and sizes. You’ve seen me talk up toy shows before, whether it’s been looking at them as a destination for collectors or discussing their viability in an increasingly digital world, both literally and socially. The one thing all readers of these articles should take away is this: toy shows are one of the oldest and best ways to meet other collectors and find great items!    

Rather than talking about shows hypothetically this time, here I actually give you the information you’ve been waiting for, the secrets of where are the best toy shows are in the United States. For those of you not located in the contiguous 48 States we will revisit this topic globally in the next year, just for you.

What Makes a Great Toy Show?

As old as collecting itself, toy shows are one of the few original concepts in the hobby that exist to this day in its purest form, person to person. I’ve been fortunate enough to hit up over 40 shows across the country over the last several years. Each has its own personality, sometimes mundane and sometimes exciting, and always unique which can be good or bad.

Regardless of the show and location one thing remains consistent across all shows, good buying and selling can offset anything -- be it rain, snow, sleet, below freezing temperatures, you name it -- and thus as I consider the traits that make up a great show, the buying and selling aspects are paramount to all other aspects of the show. Not to say that this is the be-all-end-all of having a good show, but this is the core driver that I see across all shows that I’ve attended.   

Other traits I looked at included the atmosphere (People and Place), is it safe, is it heated/cooled appropriately, is there food available, and what are the other people like at the event (both sellers and buyers), as these are the key ingredients in a good show. Other things like communication, registration, and administrative aspects of these shows are important too and considered when pulling together this list.

Who’s Not on Our List?

When it comes to looking at the best toy shows out there it’s tough to narrow down a list. However, to be fair to the local toy show (which is the focus of this article), we need to weed out and define what we would include in this list. This means we won’t go into detail on some of the best “events” for vintage toy collectors. These are broken into two categories: The Big Three and Franchise Specific Events.

The Big Three:
For those that aren’t familiar with the lingo the "Big Three" are New York Comic Con (NYCC), San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), and New York Toy Fair (NYTF). It’s an industry term as these are a few of the events that major toy manufactures and studios attend. Thus, corporate sponsorships reach in the multi millions of dollars for extravagant booths and set-ups to unveil the future of toys. These are some of the largest events in the realm of comics and fantasy in the world. Each are chocked with vendors including all the big toy manufactures and studios, everything from Gentle Giant to Mattel, Warner Bros to Disney. These events have become bigger than anyone ever expected. For that reason we won’t really use these events for comparative measure in this article.  Albeit, you can find vintage toys at these events and you can get exposure to a  lot of great things that are happening in the industry, from new toys and movies to all things in between. Unfortunately the core focus of these events has turned more towards corporate pageantry and less towards home-grown interaction with fans.   

Franchise Specific Events:
Another category of events I left off the list will hit home with fans of certain franchises, as they are monotone in what fan’s they serve. These we call are the Franchise Specific Event like Star Wars Celebration, Joe Con, TF Con and many others. It pains me to not include them as I do think that each are the epitome of opportunity to buy, sell and trade with others in their respective hobbies. But because of their inconsistency in location and schedule and the fact that they really hit on one specific line in the broad spectrum of popular brands, they'll be left off this list.

The List

Honorable Mention:
These shows didn’t make our list but deserve a brief mention for what they are, and the events they put on:

San Jose Super Toy Show – San Jose, CA - https://timetunnelnews.blogspot.com/
Arizona Toy Con – Phoenix, AZ – www.aztoycon.com
Lexington Comic and Toy Con – Lexington, VA - http://www.lexingtoncomiccon.com/
Cincinnati Toy Show – Cincinnati, OH – www.ctspromotions.com
Indiana Toy and Comic Show – Indianapolis, IN – www.indianatoyandcomicexpo.com
Florida Megacon – Tampa and Orlando – www.megaconorlando.com
Steel City Con – Pittsburgh, PA - www.steelcitycon.com
Wondercon* – Los Angeles, CA – www.wondercon.com

Key Shows:

Toyman (Bi-Monthly)
St. Louis, MO
www.toymanshow.com

For the most part, toy shows are once a year types of events, but in some cases like Kane and Columbus they are bi-annual with a show in the spring and the fall. When it comes to our next show on the list, no others come close to delivering the pure number of events and consistency of these events occurrence to occurrence.  ToyMan is a collective series of bi-monthly shows based in St. Louis, Missouri. Seen on one the first seasons of Toy Hunters, it’s a bit of a fabled event in the annals of toy collecting, with special appearances (announced and unannounced) and a casual environment that is a welcome change from the hustle of more fast-paced and larger shows. While small in over all scope, you have to appreciate the ongoing efforts put out by the shows organizers and vendors. Every event is treated like it’s a once a year event, the vendors consistently turn out great items across vintage and modern toys across the spectrum of brands and toy lines from the past 50+ years.    

 Go for: central location (Total U.S.), friendly collectors and sellers, and lots of new inventory show to show.

Beware of: your surroundings while traveling to the show, while not in the worst part of town, it’s not far away from some rough areas of East St. Louis.


Motor City Comic Con
Detroit, MI
www.motorcitycomiccon.com

One of the longest running independent comic cons in the country, Motor City Comic Con is a unique event with a character all its own. With the feel and advantages of big scale events while still offering a very localized and inviting atmosphere, MCC is one of the few con-style events to make our list. Much like Steel City, this is one of the most toy-rich con-style events out there, with buying options from the typical con-based comic book categories.    

Go for: Great fun atmosphere. Just like any big con out there, there’s a lot to do and see.

Beware of: Costs. Although an independent event, going to MCC can have a rather large price tag attached to it if you’re not local. Buying can be hit or miss, but the hits outweigh the misses.


Columbus Toy and Gaming Expo
Columbus, OH
www.ctspromotions.com

One of two shows that CTS Promotions runs each year, and nestled right in the heart of Kenner country, Columbus has become one of the better shows for vintage and modern toys on a national scale. The event itself is accessible, large and is simply one of the best shows in the country for buying and selling toys. The amount available and the diversity of the product is what sets this event apart from other shows out there.

Go for: Great buying, great trading and a fun atmosphere. The promoters try and bring some fun elements without going out a limb and having 4 fudge booths, but that’s another story for another time.

Beware of: Competitiveness. There's a sense of territoriality among a lot of the collectors from the local market. Also, no matter how hungry you are don’t stop at the McDonalds near the building, just trust me on this one.


Kane County
St. Charles, IL
www.chicagotoyshow.com

There are shows that are legendary because of one time occurrences, like a rare set of figures popping up. There are shows that are legendary because of the attendees and stories that come out of them, and then there are shows that extend beyond that, and Kane County is that show.

Kane County is one of the longest running shows in the hobby, and it has a strong track record that goes along with that. Whether it was the sale of carded Uzays, or just a set of 12 backs, some great things have turned up over the years at Kane.

While some shows have great buying and selling, good facilities, and are well organized, the Kane county toy show takes it a step further by really focusing on the buyer -- you know, the thing that keeps these events being successful. Whether its early access badges, the ease of use of the site, or the accessibility and demeanor of the promoters, it’s just fun across the board. Adding to the event is the simple fact that it’s in Chicago, one of the few major markets in the US with a central location and generally easy access for most travelers.   

Go for: Great buying, great trading, fun atmosphere, good people, nice promoters, and generally a great, but exhausting time that also helps you get in an extra 15,000 steps that day.

Beware of: Scale -- It stretches beyond just one building and weather becomes a factor. Remember that Chicago in the fall and spring is fairly brisk, and rain can be a damper on your time when carrying around old cardboard boxes.


 And there you have it... a short list of some great shows to attend, and four that need to be on everyone’s bucket list.

Agree with our list? Did we miss something? Comment below and let us know what your favorite event is, and share your stories!

Wampa Wampa,
"Fratastic" Pete
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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

'Chive Cast Blog Log Pod Episode 6 - Star Wars + Wonder Bread = USA


Jonathan McElwain joins Skye and Steve to exhaustively discuss the 1977 Wonder Bread Star Wars Promotion. From the cards to the displays to the bags, we cover it all. Plus, Skye rambles some about the history of Wonder Bread.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:54 – Intro: Yes, we are going to talk about Wonder Bread Collectibles for an hour
01:58 – Wonder Bread Commercial from the 1950s
04:38 – Jonathan McElwain joins the show
06:55 – 16 Cards
11:51 – Vader Card Discussion (well…Skye monologue, really)
14:49 – The Descriptions on the Back of the 16 Cards
19:20 – John Van Hamersveld: Superstar Designer
21:11 – Toyota Celica and Wonder Bread
24:40 – Braun’s Town Talk Bread Promotion
27:25 – Shelf Danglers aka. Wobblers & the Pyramid Imagery
32:00 – Unintentional Wonder Bread Market Watch
37:44 – So Many Bread Bags
39:29 – Bag Variations as Symbols of America
48:09 – Why you should join the Food Collectibes Facebook Group
51:03 – The “fresh guys” commercial

READ THE ORIGINAL BLOG POST:

Show Note Links:


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Sunday, March 11, 2018

Star Wars Community Digest Issue #4


Tommy and Yehuda write:

 Welcome to the latest issue of Star Wars Community Digest, your place to get summaries about what's going on in the Star Wars collecting community across all of the forums and Facebook groups. We will present the news and current events each week, so that you don't miss anything. Please be aware that many of these are closed Facebook groups though, which means you will need to join them in order to read the conversations. But don't worry, it's free and almost instantaneous.

Participating Groups and forums:
Star Wars Displays and Advertising
Star Wars Records and Tapes
Star Wars 12 Backs and Early Vintage Collectors Group (A New Hope 1977-79)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Vintage Collecting Group 1980-1982
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi Vintage Collecting Group 1983 - 1985
Star Wars: POTF (Last 17) Vintage Collecting Group 1985
Star Wars: The "Dark Times" Collecting Group (1985-95, Droids & Ewoks, etc)
Jabba's Court - Vintage Star Wars Collectors Group 1977 - 1988
The Imperial Commissary - 1977-1985 Vintage Star Wars Toys, Buy Sell Trade
Power Of The Force Coins
Star Wars bootleg and knockoff collectors
Star Wars Micro Machines and Action Fleet Collecting Group
vintage star wars action figures
The RebelScum vintage forum
Jawa's Outpost (UK and EIRE Star Wars trading group)

If you would like your community to be a part of this feature, please let us know. We are always happy to include additional groups/forums in our summaries, but be aware that not every group can be featured every week.

In any case, lets get right down to it and get everyone caught up to date on what they may have missed last week...

Bucket Coin Find: Part 3


As you might recall from our coverage of the "Bucket Coin Find" in SW Community Digest Issue #1 and Issue #2, the find consisted of a large number of very rare coins, which showed up recently in damaged condition. Over the last few weeks, collectors have had many questions about the coins, and their authenticity is still debated in the community.  The questions continued this week in the Power of the Force Coins group as yet more coins from the find have hit the market, with new allegations that the seller is shill bidding.

The full thread can be found here:
Bucket Coin Find Part #3

So That’s Why Those Vintage Droid Figures are so Shiny

A look underneath the vac-metalized plating on the Death Star Droid reveals interesting random multicolored figures.

A detailed discussion ensues in the Jabba's Court - Vintage Star Wars Collectors Group about the production process of vac-metalized figures and the potential negative effects of stripping the coating from the figures.

The thread covers topics including further damaging vintage figures, the potential problems of restoring a vintage toy to give it a better appearance, and the potential for stripped figures being passed off as pre-production pieces.

The full thread can be found here:
De-Chromed Figures

Further reading on vac-metalized figures:

Revenge of the Shirt 


A lot of people had shirts from Return of the Jedi. Open any photo album from the 80s and you're sure to see someone wearing a piece of Return of the Jedi merchandise. Even today, Return of the Jedi imagery is featured on shirts the world over. But Steven Petsche can do that one better. He recently showed off an awesome piece from his collection in the Star Wars: Return of The Jedi Vintage Collecting Group, a shirt from Revenge of the Jedi!

He provides the backstory on this amazing piece here:
Revenge of the Jedi Shirt

Additional reading on the Archive:
List of Revenge of the Jedi items in The Archive Database

Which Power of the Force Coins are the Rarest?


Power of the Force coins are one of the hottest areas of collecting at the moment. But with so many different coins and so many variations, which are the rarest? A thread in the Imperial Commissary group seeks to answer that question, and the relative rarity of category five coins is debated.

The full thread can be found here:

Additional reading on the Archive:

Strong Enough to Take on the Whole Empire

Here's a neat photo from The Jawa's Outpost Group: it's a shot showing the evolution of the Snowspeeder toy, from vintage to modern. Most of the time, collectors focus on one line or the other, so it's cool to see them all lined up like that.

The full thread can be found here:
Snowspeeders

Strange Uncut Book Covers Turn Up


Every now and then something turns up in the community and no one is 100% sure what it is. That was the case with a recent thread in the Star Wars Displays and Advertising group.  Kevin Lentz posted images of some unfolded book dust jackets he acquired, and their origins are a bit of a mystery. Are they proofs of some kind? Are they promotional items sent to book stores? The community isn't sure, exactly. Either way though, they're pretty cool.

The full thread can be found here:
Uncut Book Covers

Additional reading on the Archive:
The list of book entries in The Archive Database

Countertop Bootleg Belt Display

Large themed belt buckles were a very popular in the 1970s and early 1980s
Star Wars had a strong representation in the belt fad, with both licensed and bootleg examples being available. Elastic child-sized bootleg Star Wars belts with matching belt buckles were a staple in many boys wardrobes. A dedicated collector uncovers a vintage countertop bootleg belt store display in a thread in the Star Wars Displays and Advertising group, and uses it to showcase his rare belt collection.

The full thread can be found here:

Additional reading on the Archive:

How Are We to Know the Good From the Bad?

A Star Wars Community Digest Editorial

Unmarked replicas are a danger to everyone

Avoiding accidentally buying a counterfeit piece is a universal problem found in most collecting hobbies. Collecting vintage Star Wars pieces is no exception. Reproduction copies of authentic coveted collectibles are often made by skilled individuals with a profit motive in mind. As the toys have exponentially increased in value over the last several years, there has also been an increase in the production of copies.

As the value and demand for a collectible increases, so does the motivation to produce copies. Many collectors refuse to have any reproduction pieces in their collection while some don’t mind having a reproduction piece as a collection placeholder for an unattainable collectible.

Even when reproduction collectibles are made with the intent to sell the item with transparency as a reproduction, it often will be sold again at a later date either purposely or accidentally as an original once it has gone into circulation. This is particularly problematic when a counterfeiter does their best to make a perfect copy and defers marking it as a copy.

Although most copies (to date) can be detected by experienced collectors, improvements in technology has made newer fakes less obvious. This is particularly problematic for the newer collector who has saved up for one of their first big purchases only to find out that they have been swindled.

There has been a general outcry by experienced collectors for all reproductions to be marked in an obvious indelible fashion with the manufacturer and date. This is the simplest and most effective way to protect collectors without denying fans of replicas the opportunity to have them on their shelves. As such, we believe that the community needs to pressure the creators of replica items to produce them in a responsible way. Collectors should protect collectors, particularly if doing so requires such minimal effort. If the creator of a replica refuses to take even the smallest of safeguards, we suggest finding someone else to buy from.

A pair of rare coins are in the process of being reproduced without being marked as copies and this issue is hotly debated in a recent Power of the Force Coins group thread. 

The full discussion can be found here:
Replica Coins

Further reading on past issues with reproductions:
Reproductions - Imperial Gunnery
Repro Coins - Rebelscum Forums

Our Star Wars Community Digest Time Capsule Thread for this Issue:
Search Your Feelings, You Know it to be Debatable


On July 10th, 1982 Arpanet user "watmath!bstempleton" signed onto the net.sf-lovers newsgroup and told everyone about the movie he just saw. As it happened, he had seen a double-bill of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, neither of which was available on any kind of home video at the time. As such, the script and scenes still fresh in his mind, he thought himself in a good position to rationally argue whether or not Vader really was Luke's father. His final verdict? Well, read the thread.

His thoughts can be found here:
Star Wars and Empire, SPOILER
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