Annoying Antique Places

One thing to warn you about if you try to look for star wars stuff at antique stores. They act like they have no idea what you are talking about. Many times when I go, the people act discusted if I even ask if they have vintage star wars collectables. They usually say things like "what is that?". Don't be discouraged though. You must look around the store because sometimes you just might find what your looking for. Once in an old antique store I found the vintage boxed droid playset sitting amung a pile of games. Ha! Well being priced at like $30 I came back and bought it. Sometimes it pays to look I guess!

Condition of a figure

A star wars product or action figure can be worth alot of money. But it can be worth more money the nicer quality it is. Proffesionaly graded figures are given the symbol AFA and a number. The higher the number the higher the figures value. An AFA 85 Darth Vader is going to be worth more then an AFA 60 for example. There is also the condition rating which can be done by anybody. It is almost impossible for a figure to be a C- 10 and C-9's are rare. The condition means how much visual ware and tear the figure is in. Also if the joints are loose or the bubble on the packaging is torn the condition will drop quickly. It is important to look up you condition of your star wars product to determine the value. Most of my figures are a C-7 and occaisionaly a C-8 which is average. If you want the top of the line quality then you should order by description and picture not by price.

Stephen Sansweet

Did you know that the largest private collecter of star wars toys and memorabilia is Stephen Sansweet. He keeps his giant collection in Marin County, California on the premises of the George Lucas Ranch. Sadly it is not open to the public, but if you need to know somthing about star wars then this guy is the man to talk to. He has written a large amount of books you should check out including the Star Wars 1,000 Collectables Memorabilia and Stories From a Galaxy far, far Away. This book explains and shows pictures of his giant collection and stories about merchandise and props from the movie trilogy. You should at least look him up and see the pictures of the chicken coop turned private museum online and you will understand just how many star wars items there are to collect.

Helpful books

When I first got into star wars collecting I bought alot of books that would help me price my figures and decide how much money I should spend on them. There are plenty of books to choose from but they can be hard to find. You can find them at your local library or bookstore but many you will have to order. It is good to compare different books to see if the information is accurate. Here is a list you might want to check out.
-Star Wars Vintage Action Figures by John Kellerman
-Warman's Star Wars field guide by Stuart W. Wells the third
-Star Wars 1,000 collectibles Memorabilia and stories from a galaxy far, far away by Stephan J. Sansweet with Anne Neumann
-Star Wars from concept to screen to collectable by Stephan J. Sansweet

Where to buy star wars

One of many questions first time star wars collecters might have is where can I buy star wars toys and memorabilia. Well if your collecting vintage star wars you should check at antique stores, comic stores, auctions, toy shows, and on ebay and craigslist. If your collecting newer star wars items then I suggest going to tasrget, kmart, toys r us, and any other toy stores to find Hasbros newest line of star wars action figures. Do not confuse them with vintage star wars just because the packaging looks the same though.
Here are some links for online sites you can order from:
http://www.brianstoys.com/store/default.aspx
for cheap star wars:http://www.stormtroopergalaxy.com/shop/vintage-star-wars/vintage-star-wars-figures
for a large selection:http://www.theearthtoymall.com/vinstarwarac.html
for one of the best star wars stores around:http://www.toystable.com/

What is a snaggletooth?

Funny question I know, but one of the biggest star wars action figure differences in the line and from the movie start here. Kenner produced a red snaggletooth back in 1977 that was sold in production lines but soon after, Palitoy, another company, produced a cantina set featuring a blue snaggletooth. This one was much taller with big feet. Realizing that this wasn't what George Lucas attended his charecter to look like, the product was soon taken off the shelf. So now if you happen to find a blue snaggletooth it can be worth up to $300!! But one more thing. Many people on popular sites like ebay post blue snaggletooths in original 1 figure packaging. These are totaly fake because the blue snaggletooths only appeared in the Palitoy cantina play set so therefor it is believed no 1 figure packaginghttpwere ever produced. Here I have posted a link of were some scammers buy their fake snaggletooth packaging and some more background information.http://www.starwarsfigurerecarded.com/?p=106

The Basics

Collecting star wars action figures and toys is more about buying them and displaying them like you would any other collectable. Instead it's about preserving either your child hood or your new childhood. I think it is really cool that these old toys and new toys can be saved for future generations.
History: The first thing to note wheather collecting vintage or new star wars collectables is that the value only increases with the availability of the item. Sadly many new star wars toys from like target and k-mart will be the same price ten years from now or the price will mabye even drop. The trick that occured after the 70's and 80's Star Wars toys hit the market was people didn't know they would soon one day become very valueble. Did you know that the first company's to create star wars toys and action figures were kenner and palitoy and with so many variations of products these items are some of the most sought after Star wars merchandise. Kenner didn't launch there line till after the first Christmas after Star Wars hit the big screen soavid buyers had to wait. But they did give a cardboard box called the "early bird package" that was sold in stores in which figures were sent away for along with other premium items. So what is the most valueble star wars item you ask? Well many people including me say that the double telescoping lightsaber Ben Kenobi in original 12 back package is the rarest raising prices as much of 30,000 dollars for highly graded AFA(action figure graded) packaged ones. So weather you already collect star wars or are hoping too please enjoy my blog. May the force be with you.