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Star Wars Early Bird Certificate 1977

The World’s Most Valuable ‘Star Wars’ Collectibles

December 17, 2015

Do you have any of these items stashed away in your garage or attic? If so, you could be in for a big pay day.

Star Wars Early Bird Certificate 1977

 

A 1977 “early bird” store display

As you may already know, Kenner wasn’t prepared for the popularity of A New Hope and had to resort to sending customers cardboard dioramas and certificates in place of action figures for the 1977 Christmas shopping season. A small store display promoting the “early bird” plan was recently put up for auction and sold for $20,000, over twice what was expected. It’s one of only five in existence.

Jawa with a vinyl cape

One of, if not the most valuable Star Wars action figure to date is this pint-sized one that was released in 1978. It was originally made with a vinyl cape but Kenner assumed that their customers might have felt like they were getting ripped off. The small figure came with the same $1.99 price tag as its more popular (and taller) colleagues like Darth Vader and Han Solo. So Kenner released a new version with a cloth cape instead. The originals are now, ironically, much more valuable than the other action figures from the same line and, depending on their condition, can sell for anywhere from $3,000 – $18,000.

George Lucas’ camera

While it might not be as cool as Luke Skywalker’s actual lightsaber, which sold for $240,000 at an auction in 2008, the Panavision Camera used by director George Lucas while filming the first Star Wars is worth nearly three times as much. When it went up for auction that same year, the camera sold for $625,000, breaking records for both Star Wars memorabilia and vintage cameras.

The ‘77 Star Wars Toyota Celica

To promote the release of A New Hope in 1977, 20th Century Fox gave away a customized Toyota Celica. The vehicle was emblazoned with decals of characters from the film. No record of who won the car can be found at the offices of Lucasfilm and they lost track of it entirely in the late ‘80s. According to one source, it was listed around that time in a toy collector’s magazine with a meager $1,000 asking price. Since it’s truly “one of a kind,” the car could sell for somewhere in the six figures, making it the most valuable Star Wars collectible in existence.