Vintage Collectibles Appreciation Society

Hello, welcome to the Vintage Appreciation Society - grab a bar stool and a glass of blue milk and let's talk about vintage Star Wars Collectibles!

Just to be clear - vintage means items produced and made before the big relaunch in the 1990s. YOU don't have to BE vintage to appreciate vintage collectibles, but leave all of your newfangled collectibles discussion elsewhere!

So let's start with some simple questions to get things going:

1) What was your first vintage collectible?
2) What's your greatest find?
3) What are your holy grails?
4) How long have you been collecting vintage items?
5) How have you seen this part of Star Wars collecting change/stay the same over the years?
6) Any pet peeves?
7) Fondest memories?
8) Favorite collectible!

Anything else?!

 

Great thread!

What was your first vintage collectible?

I officially dipped my toe in the collecting waters back in '00 w/Han Bespin and Luke Jedi from a well known e-tailer. It wasn't until '04 that I signed up for eBay and began seriously collecting vintage era SW (and other 70s/80s toys from my childhood). Getting those two figures in the mail was like a blast from the past.

What are your holy grails?

A mint SW lunchbox, mint The Force Vader and Luke (Green, already have the yellow) lightsabers.

How have you seen this part of Star Wars collecting change/stay the same over the years?

Prices have certainly risen over the last decade. Some of that is driven by the hype from the new Disney deal and the forthcoming films, but as with any collecting hobby there are a finite number of vintage items out there, and given that most are approaching 40 years old, condition is a factor, making mint/near mint items tougher to find and thus raising prices.

All and all it's still a hobby within reach of most people, but I'm certainly glad I started when I did.

Any pet peeves?

Sellers who don't educate themselves. There are a lot of great sellers on eBay; some who specialize in vintage SW items and 70s/80s toys in general, and others who flip items they find at estate/yard sales and thrift stores. But it's irritating to find an item you'd like to bid on and the seller lists it at 3-4 times its going rate because it's SW and they just assume that makes it a goldmine (Hint; you're not going to fund your child's college education with that Jar Jar lunchbox you found at Goodwill). Another would be sellers who don't take the time to describe their items clearly. "The pictures speak for themselves!" they say after posting dark, fuzzy pictures from their 1.4 megapixel flip phone camera. Sure, you can ask a question, but what if you come across the ad with 5 minutes left to bid?

8) Favorite collectible!

Probably a toss-up between my ESB lunchbox (which I got mint, unused off eBay for $35.00!) and my set of 12 collectible glasses (4 from each film) from Burger King.

 

Great thread!

1) Based on a couple early photos taken around 1980, my first Star Wars collectibles were R2D2, C3PO and Luke with X-Wing. I still have the droids (see numbers 3 & 8)
2)Greatest find would be when i bought a large lot on Ebay in 2002 which included most figures, ships, and creatures. Had nice finds on Ebay for weapons and last 17 figures. Also just being lucky at collectible shows finding pieces here and there that helped complete my ships/sets.
3)Holy grails would be my 13 original figures i managed to keep through the 30 plus years including my ROTJ Luke in Jabba's Palace lunch box. Also have to include my Blue Snaggletooth and last 17 figures and weapons.
4) I have been collecting vintage since 2002.
5)Collecting seems to have grown tremendously over the years due to fun of the hunt and the nastolgia factor. The ability to make $ is not the driving force but is nice to do if done right.
6)Pet peeves would be sellers in for it just to rip honest collectors off, misinformed collectors, and not getting much help in finding parts.
7)Fondest memories would be going to the Celebrations and meeting other fellow collectors. Part of the enjoyment is the hunt for your vintage pieces, but being able to share your stories while waiting in line at TRU at midnight or with everyone here on the boards makes the hobby so much more enjoyable.
8)Favorite collectible is my entire 3.75" collection especially my original droids.

Something else to add would be what item did you have as a kid that you lost but now have that you cherish. Mine would be the X Wing fighter. Since the sound doesn't work i get to do it myself which is even better.

 

1) What was your first vintage collectible?

Technically I think I got a Star Wars T-shirt (which I still have.) They came out before toys. We also got the soundtrack on LP. My first figures I got I think 3 3-packs that my Mom ordered for me from JC Pennys. I got Vader + 2 stormtroopers, a Death Star Commander, C-3PO, R2-D2, and maybe Ben. I'd say Luke except I'm pretty sure I have his cardback. I don't remember specifically which figures they were other than the ones I mentioned.

2) What's your greatest find?

I didn't know it at the time but my Mom and I were in Longs and I found a basket on the end cap that had a ton of the last 17 figures on clearance for $1 each. I dug through it and asked if I could have one of each. I think I got something like 11 of them. Because it was right at the end of the craze, they're all in great condition.

3) What are your holy grails?

I need Stormtrooper Luke and Yak Face. I probably could find and buy them, but my nose just gets all out of joint at the thought of paying over $100 for a single figure.

4) How long have you been collecting vintage items? Since day one baby!

5) How have you seen this part of Star Wars collecting change/stay the same over the years? Interestingly, I spent a lot of time hitting antique stores when I was in/after college in the 90's and other than standard figures not costing very much each, and even carded figures not being too pricey - a lot of the harder to find figures cost about what they have for a very long time. I bought my Blue Snaggletooth back in like 1993 for $85 - his price has mostly held at that for 20 years.

6) Any pet peeves? Sellers not knowing the difference between Vintage and modern collectibles. But even worse, sellers saying item is in "good" condition only to have it arrive reeking of cigarrette smoke. BLECK!

7) Fondest memories?

My sister and I putting our tape recorder right up next to our radio and recording each weekly installment of the Star Wars Radio show for the first film.I don't know how many times I listened to those tapes. It's why if I quote the first film, sometimes my quotes seem off because they're from the radio show, not the film.

8) Favorite collectible!

My 12" Kenner Princess Leia in box. My Mom surprised me w/ it for a gift.

9) What item did you have a kid and lose?

I had meticulously cut out all of the Star Wars comic strips out my newspapers and had them in an envelope, it must've gotten thrown away at some point.

 

Great thread, Padme. I'm in my mid-40's, and was 6 (almost 7) when ANH hit back in May '77. So, I have fond memories of collecting Vintage SW toys back in the day.

1) What was your first vintage collectible?

Probably the Vintage Kenner C3PO - IIRC, I got this back in '78.

2) What's your greatest find?

Back in 1988, TRU was clearancing out some SW toys that had sat on shelves for years. I remember getting the Shuttle Tydirium for around $30, and the Speeder bikes for around $10 each.

3) What are your holy grails?

The aforementioned Shuttle Tydirium, The Rebel Blockade Runner (never re-made in the modern line), and the Imperial Attack Base playset (also never re-made in the modern line).

Also, the Vintage 1985 POTF Amanaman figure (which I have mint, but loose) is a great figure - I especially like the weird aliens in the OT, and Amanaman was one of the best.

4) How long have you been collecting vintage items?

I actually only collected Vintage SW toys from around '78 - '88, when they were in stores. 1988 was around the time I stopped seeing Vintage toys in stores. However, I still have & cherish most of my old collectibles.

5) How have you seen this part of Star Wars collecting change/stay the same over the years?

Vintage toys were very expensive in the early '90's, before POTF2 hit in the mid-1990's. And, though the prices were still expensive after POTF2 hit, I'm guessing a lot of collectors (myself very much included) starting moving over to the modern SW toys, which were in many cases improvements on the vintage versions (especially the vehicles like the Landspeeder, Tie Fighter, etc.).

6) Any pet peeves?

Vintage collectibles that fall apart and/or deteriorate. I mentioned in an recent thread that the foam in my nice Vintage Chewbacca Bandolier strap fell apart, through no fault of my own. I guess these toys weren't all meant to last this long.

I'm also irritated that many of my Vintage figures are now "sticky", even though they've been stored well. Granted, the figures aren't completely ruined because of this, but obviously the plastic has deteriorated over the years.

7) Fondest memories?

I also remember cutting out the Star Wars newspaper strips from the paper (the Russ Manning strips only), and taping them to cardboard. Have no idea where those are now. However, I did get the Dark Horse reprints of these strips back in the '90's - great stories here!

8) Favorite collectible!

Quite possibly the 1983 Kenner Jabba the Hutt figure w/throne. The glassy eyes look cool, and I like the moveable tail. IMHO this is the best 3.75 version of Jabba.

 

I found this posted today - thought it was fun.

 

"...and they're firmly convinced the craze could last for years."

Make that decades!

I loved watching those folks packaging the toys. They looked so over it . If they only knew they were holding thousands and thousands of future dollars in their hands.

 

Back in the days when toys were made in the USA

 

I know, right ? And in that case it was in Cincinnati, just down the road from me.

 

And how about the feeling you get when you find a vintage lot at a garage sale or buy a good deal on Ebay and they arrive in the mail. Just like Christmas 1977-85 or even better there is an original weapon or two with the lot not expected....ever seen a grown up jump up & down?

 

for sure. I recently picked off several things on eBay from different sellers and they all arrived on the same day (my poor mail carrier!). It did indeed feel like Christmas opening them one after the other.

 

Here's a great compilation of Kenner commercials from 1977-1985 - all starts w/ the Early Bird commercial!