Since 1977 and the first Star Wars barreled like a crazed bantha through an unsuspecting film industry, toys have been coming out based on the films. Some of these toys (usually the older, the better) are valued in the tens of thousands or more due to various factors.
Continue reading to learn about the 9 most expensive Star Wars toys and the features that make some versions of these toys dreams for any passionate collector.
- FX-7
- Sonic Controlled Land Speeder
- Luke Skywalker with Double-Telescoping Lightsaber
- Vinyl Cape Jawa
- Walrus Man – Bib Fortuna
- Darth Vader with Double-Telescoping Lightsaber
- Glasslite Vlix Figure
- Obi-Wan Kenobi with Double-Telescoping Lightsaber
- Rocket Launcher Boba Fett
Year: 1983-1984
Brand: Palitoy
photo source: Lulu Berlu
While Kenner is the name of the game in valuable Star Wars toys stateside, molds for those toys that made it into the hands of foreign distributors sometimes turned into toys that are now more valuable than the originals. The FX-7 droid toy is an example of this happening.
In Europe, the variant of the FX-7 distributed by Palitoy had a different cardback (that’s the cardboard “box” that the toy was attached to inside of a plastic bubble) and is much rarer. This version sells for upwards of $11,000.
Did you know?
FX-7 is a medical droid and can be seen in the films as well as in various video game situations where players need health packs dispensed to them. The most famous example of this Alliance-allied droid in the films is in The Empire Strikes Back, where an FX-7 is helping Luke recover from his injuries after being mauled by the wampa.
Year: 1978-1980
Brand: Kenner
photo source: TheSWCA
The Sonic Controlled Land Speeder was produced for a lot longer than most of the toys on this list. Whereas most are valuable for being in production for a year or less, this toy had 1978-1980 to be made and sold. The reason it’s so valuable is where it was sold.
This toy was a J.C. Penney Christmas catalog exclusive, meaning kids couldn’t see it in toy stores. Additionally, the toy was brittle, with its R2-D2-shaped remote breaking very easily.
This is probably the reason Kenner never released the toy to a wider market and is now the reason it’s incredibly rare, worth as much as $18,950.
Did you know?
The catalog picture showed figures like Obi-Wan and Luke sitting in the speeder. However, these were not included. The Sonic Controlled Land Speeder cost $11.44, which may not seem like a lot. But remember that this was 1978! A lot of toys on here were sold initially for only a few bucks.
Year: 1977
Brand: Kenner
photo source: TheSWCA
The first but certainly not the last of the double-telescoping toys by Kenner, this Luke Skywalker figure is almost as famous for being breakable as for being expensive. The Luke one, a Ben Kenobi figure, and a Darth Vader one (see below) all included this early lightsaber design where the blade slips out and the tip also releases separately.
If you want the ultimate in valuable Luke figures, you have to make sure that the lightsaber extends twice. Otherwise, it’s the single-telescoping figure, which isn’t nearly as valuable. The double one is worth up to $25,000.
Did you know?
The double-telescoping early version required assembly by the user. This was the main reason that Kenner switched to a one-piece model, though the lightsaber ended up being shorter. The 12-figure cardback has to be the original 1977 iteration with instructions on how to attach the tubes so they come out right.
Year: 1978
Brand: Kenner
photo source: TheSWCA
The Vinyl Cape Jawa is an infamous Star Wars collector’s item. The first editions of this figure featured a stiff vinyl cape that the brand, Kenner, believed made the figure look too cheap. While still in its initial run, they switched it out for a cloth cape, which now makes the vinyl variations incredibly valuable.
A Vinyl Cape Jawa figure still in the box is worth as much as $28,000. Many kids at the time didn’t even realize that multiple versions of the toy existed!
Did you know?
It’s unknown what’s under the little orange cloaks of these meter-tall scavengers. All the colonists on Tatooine (and by extension, the viewers) know is that they have black little faces and an obsession with junk. Some suspect that they’re mutated native creatures on Tatooine or possibly devolved humanoids.
Year: 1982
Brand: Kenner
photo source: Hake’s
“Walrus Man” refers to the text on the card and the picture of the Walrus Man from the cantina on Tatooine. It was part of a series of 47 collectible figure cards for the pre-Return of the Jedi toy lines in 1982.
The cardback is unpunched, with square corners of the bubble plastic, and the white cloak alternate design on Fortuna’s body. Though the toy was valued at up to $75,000, it ended up selling through Hake’s for $28,556.
Did you know?
Bib Fortuna is a Twi’lek, serving as Jabba the Hutt’s majordomo in Return of the Jedi. He was played in the movie by Michael Carter originally (voiced by Erik Bauersfield). Recently, he was played by Matthew Wood in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Year: 1977
Brand: Kenner
photo source: TheSWCA
The double-telescoping lightsaber is a huge marker of value for these intact toys. The Darth Vader toy that has it is one of the most valuable. If you took it out of its valuable cardback, you would see the thin extended saber with the double opening action. It was so easy to break back in the day that the company, Kenner, discontinued the design quickly.
This means that surviving double-telescoping lightsabers are seriously valuable, up to $30,000.
Did you know?
One of the main things to know about these double-telescoping lightsabers is that they were so fragile that in-box versions of these toys are not the end-all for valuing them. Surviving toys in great working condition even out of the box can sell for $10,000-$20,000.
Year: 1985
Brand: Glasslite
photo source: TheSWCA
Vlix is undoubtedly the least well-known character on this list of the most valuable Star Wars toys. Vlix was a character in the spin-off animated cartoon, Droids, which lasted a single season in 1985. The original figures were produced by Kenner stateside, as many figures on this list were.
In Brazil, the Droids toy license was owned by Glasslite, which produced figures based on unused Kenner molds to be used for sale there. This version of the toy is the most valuable, worth up to $45,000 in good condition.
Did you know?
One of the things that makes Vlix figures so valuable is that Brazil experienced economic strife in the late-80s that prevented these toys from making a splash as intended. Most Vlix toys were unsold and either stored or destroyed for the plastic, making surviving examples extremely rare.
Year: 1977
Brand: Kenner
photo source: The Toy Archives
This Obi-Wan Kenobi with Double-Telescoping Lightsaber by Kenner is one of the original lines of toys for the first movie in 1977. It’s so old in the franchise’s history that the box and figure show Obi-Wan holding a yellow lightsaber, which was the original concept.
The figure is shown in an orange-brown variation of his Tatooine garb. Hake’s American Collectibles sold this figure in 2017 for $76,700.
Did you know?
Though the production numbers of this toy are not well-known, fewer than 20 still in the box are thought to still exist. The one that sold here is so new that it was even “unpunched,” which means that the little cardboard hole at the top of the box for the store hanger was still intact.
Year: 1979
Brand: Kenner
photo source: Antiques Trade Gazette
The most expensive Star Wars toy is the Rocket Launcher Boba Fett. Estimates for the toy’s value can be high as $500,000, but the toy generally sells in the $150,000-$200,000 mark. This isn’t a production figure – it’s a prototype that never made it to full manufacture.
The toy debuted in 1979 at the New York Toy Fair ahead of the hype for The Empire Strikes Back. There were two types of these toys, one with a firing mechanism shaped like an “L” and the rarer one shaped like a “J.” Only 20 “J” ones are known to survive and of these, most of them are damaged by company stress testing.
It was a pristine survivor of the J-type Boba Fett that sold in March 2022 for $204,435, breaking all previous records for Star Wars toys.
Did you know?
Despite the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) being arguably the most maligned Star Wars content ever, it was the introduction of Boba Fett to the fanbase.
