One of the world’s rarest Star Wars figures up for auction at $19K

By Alice Clifford via SWNS

One of the world's rarest Star Wars figures found hidden in a loft is set to sell for up to £15,000 ($19,353).

The Jawa figure dates back to the 1970s, with an estimated 10-12 of them scattered across the globe.

The price tag, described as "conservative" is 10,000 times the £1.50 ($1.94) that the figure was originally on sale for.

This isn’t the first of its kind to be sold, with one from the US selling for £27,500 ($35,481) last October and a UK one selling for £22,000 ($28,385) three years ago.

The auctioneers have taken into consideration the financial crisis that has hit the UK, leading them to estimate a lower price than others but will not be surprised if it does exceed expectation.

The seller received theirs as a gift from the British toy company PALITOY during the promotion of the Star Wars line in Marvel’s comics.

The current owner served as the art director for Marvel UK between 1974 and 1979 and didn’t realize its value until he brought it in to the auctioneers on a whim.

Jonathan Torode, an auctioneer at Excalibur Auctions, said: “He was coming in to sell some comics and artwork and talk to our comic specialist.

“But when he was going through a box in his loft he found some toys and decided to bring them in too but he had no idea how much they were worth.

“He just turned up with them and our jaws dropped.

“I have been a toy auctioneer for a long time and this is the first one I have actually seen in the flesh, so to speak.”

The figure has long been just a myth among collectors, with many believing none existed anymore.

It is believed to be the rarest Star Wars figure in the UK and in the top three in the world.

It follows behind Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker figures that were given extended light sabres, which ended up being brittle and difficult to produce, leading to a quick stop in production.

It was first produced in the U.S. but soon after it was made a Star Wars employee claimed it looked too cheap with its vinyl cape and suggested a cloth cape would work better.

Production quickly stopped and the Jawa was given a cloth cape instead, leaving only a few vinyl ones behind.

However, with the “cheap” figures already on their way to the UK, a few made it across the pond and were set to be sold for around £1.50 a piece.

Torode added: “The UK figures are even rarer because by the time these figures got to the UK they had already withdrawn them and started producing cloth versions.

“Up until the early 2000s they were thought to not exist - they were like a legend.

“People thought they must have existed and that they had got recalled and scrapped but then some suddenly appeared in the wild.

“This figure is one of the rarest carded Star Wars figures known to exist, with approximately 10-15 examples documented.”

The highly coveted figure comes with its rare vinyl cape on its original 12-back card.

The 12-back card remains almost flat, with slight creasing in the corners due to careful storage, and retains the original punch tab in situ.

The card's colors are immaculate, and the bubble has not suffered any yellowing, as the figure has never been displayed.

The figure also carries an E grade on a VG/E card, representing its exceptional condition.

Jawas appear throughout the Star Wars franchise as meter-tall robed scavengers who comb the deserts of lawless Tatooine for scrap metal.

Other Star Wars figures in the sale from the same vendor include a Stormtrooper and a Sand People figure, both on similar 12-back PALITOY cards.

But both are set to sell for around £300 ($387) - nowhere near the heights of the rare Jawa.

The items will be presented for auction on July 22 at Excalibur Auctions’ Toys & Model Railways Collectors Sale. It is set to fetch around £10,000 – £15,000 ($12,902 - $19,353).

Torode added: “It’s a privilege to handle such a piece of Star Wars toy history.”

For more information about the auction, including registration and bidding details, please visit the official Excalibur Auctions website.