A STAR Wars superfan is hoping that the force will be with him after he picked up a toy for a bargain of 99p – and is now trying to flog it for up to £1,000.
The Return of the Jedi plastic Yak Face figure, in its original packaging, was snapped up for the cheap price in the 1980s.
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It was originally on sale for £1.59, emblazoned on the cardboard of the toy, but a Tesco’s reduced sticker was stuck over the top.
The toy, created in 1983, is 39 years old and will go under the hammer next week at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire.
It has been given a guide price of £800-£1,000 due to its rarity, and is part of a wider collection of Star Wars figures gathered over the last 20 years by a major fan of the film trilogy.
The seller, from Birmingham, is auctioning off 37 toys which together could sell for up to £20,000.
The 48-year-old said: “I remember seeing lots of figures for sale for 10p each in a shop called Crash Bang Wallop in the Swan Shopping Centre in South Yardley, Birmingham, in about 1986, when interest in the films had waned.
“I was still at school and they had a full box of about 50 toys, all rare examples of the last 17 figures. How I wished I had the money at the time. I just bought one and it’s still in my played-with collection.
“My favourite lot is a figure of Anakin Skywalker. It’s rare as the original actor’s appearance in the films has been cut with a different actor. I’m surprised by the rarity value of some of the toys as they were much more common when I purchased them. I
“’m selling now as I have a family and struggle to find anywhere to display them safely. It feels like the right time to sell.”
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His favourite Star Wars figure, Anakin Skywalker, lot 225, has the biggest auction estimate – £3,000-£5,000.
The Power of the Force toy was manufactured by Kenner in 1984, and is quickly followed up by lot 226, a 1984 Kenner Yak Face figure, guided at £2,000-£3,000.
David Wilson-Turner, head of toys at Hansons, said: “Lots 225 and 226 are extremely rare figures you don’t often see.
“In almost 10 years of working at Hansons selling multiple Star Wars items, these are two figures I have never come across before.
“The Jedi Yak Face with its original 99p price sticker is also fairly rare, hence the guide price.
“It’s amazing to think a Star Wars toy on sale for less than £1 in 1983 is now potentially worth 1,000 times its original price tag.”
The Star Wars collection will be sold on April 20 in a toy and models auction at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall.
