Half a million dollars for Boba Fett
The prototype of an action figure of the character "Boba Fett" from Star Wars has been auctioned off in the USA. The new owner is pushing the price even higher.
Excerpt from a 1979 commercial for the Boba Fett as a collector's premium.
(Image: YouTube / Heritage Auctions, Screenshot: heise online)
A 9.5 centimeter action figure of the bounty hunter Boba Fett is now the most expensive toy in the world. It was recently sold by the auction house "Heritage Auctions" for 525,000 US dollars. The unknown winner of the auction is already offering it again via the auctioneer for 787,500 US dollars - historical toys have long since become not only collector's items but also objects of speculation.
Very rare Boba Fetts from 1979 have previously fetched six-figure sums because the figure never went on sale. The reason for this is the small rocket on the figure's back, which the toy could fire via a spring, just like in the movie "The Empire Strikes Back". Such small parts were criticized at the time due to possible safety risks, such as choking or even suffocation. Accidents had occurred with similar toys for the "Battlestar Galactica" franchise. This is reported by former Kenner engineer Jacob Miles in a YouTube video produced by Heritage Auctions.
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Boba Fett is smuggled out of the factory
The toy manufacturer Kenner is said to have had concerns during the prototype phase of Boba Fett, and the figure was ultimately canceled. The employees were supposed to destroy all the copies, but some must have ended up in other people's hands. Jacob Mile suspects that some employees took the Bobas home with them - in the video, he himself regrets not having done the same.
The figure now being sold is not only so rare because of the recall before the start of sales. It is also one of the few known prototypes in which the spring for the rocket is tensioned via an L-shaped recess on the back. This "L-Type", as collectors call it, is hardly known. The "J-Type", with a J-shaped recess, is offered more frequently. When developing such toys, the techniques of the time often required many versions to find out what would result in as few rejects as possible during production.
The authenticity of the L-type was certified by several US institutions dedicated to the evaluation of rare toys. What is ironic about the high price is that the Boba Fett 1979 should not be available to buy directly. Instead, the bounty hunter was supposed to be sent free of charge as a collector's bonus if you bought four other figures from Kenner. Kenner was then unable to fulfill this promise. Later versions of the figures in stores then contained the note that you could order another figure for proof of purchase of four figures - but not the Boba Fett with working plastic rocket.
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