"The next sale of a carded FX-7 on a Palitoy card from 'The Empire Strikes Back' will be nowhere near this price, and lots of folks will be looking to sell theirs and try to cash in on the publicity," Sansweet said. But Sansweet advises against having unrealistic financial expectations around the Force. With this kind of money being spent on "Star Wars" action figures, one has to wonder if makes more sense to invest in toys over stocks and mutual bonds. And then there are rare prototypes like two main version of missile-firing Boba Fett." I buy things because I love them, not because I expect to fund my retirement. A carded one in decent condition was said to have sold in a private sale 20 years ago for close to $15,000. There were 14 unproduced figures that Kenner Products in the US didn't release in 1986, but this one came closest to production and some were made for sale later in Brazil. "Then there was a very strange figure produced in Brazil by Glasslite -Vlix, a bad guy from the 'Droids 'animated series in 1985, which ran only one season. "There are a handful of carded pre-production Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi action figures on which the lightsaber has two pieces that extend, and these 'double telescoping' figures are among the Holy Grails," Sansweet said. With more than 300,000 unique "Star Wars" items, Steve Sansweet's Rancho Obi-Wan is in the Guinness Book of World Records. While scarcity, desirability, and condition are the key factors in determining the value of any "Star Wars" collectible, Sansweet admits collectors have a few holy grail items they're constantly on the lookout for. "And my database tells me I have eight other FX-7 figures sealed on different cards. "It's in very nice condition, so if you'd like to send the under-bidder my way, I'd try my best to relieve his or her pain of losing," Sansweet said. And yes, he also owns the same 1980 Palitoy "Empire Strikes Back" medical droid action figure that went up for auction. His impressive collection of "Star Wars" memorabilia even earned a spot in the Guinness World Records. His own gigantic "Star Wars" collection is housed at Rancho Obi-Wan - a nonprofit museum dedicated to serving "the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition, and interpretation of memorabilia and artifacts." Sansweet knows a thing or two about collecting action figures - and everything else under two suns. Darth Vader, Yoda, and lightsabers, oh my (pictures).World's greatest 'Star Wars' collection, now Guinness-certified.Adorkable 'Star Wars' statues from best-selling kids books.It may have been the last piece someone needed to complete a run, it looks like it was as in near-mint condition as these things get, and the heart-beating competition of an auction can lead to a lot of adrenaline pumping." But as in any auction, it only takes two slightly crazed, somewhat wealthy folks to drive a price up to incredible heights. "When you add the buyer's premium and the value added tax, it comes to over $14,400 - for a nearly 34-year-old 4-inch piece of plastic sealed on a card. "I was gobsmacked by the price!" Steve Sansweet, author of the book "Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection," told Crave. It's not every day childhood dreams translate to big dollars, after all. When an original 1980 Palitoy "Empire Strikes Back" medical droid action figure sold at a UK auction last week for more than $11,000, "Star Wars" fans and collectors were in a state of shock. Collector and author Steve Sansweet poses with the same kind of rare "Empire Strikes Back" medical droid action figure that sold for thousands in the UK.
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