Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
What’s it worth?
Q My paperback versions of a novel based on The Empire Strikes Back film were signed by the cast at Selfridges in 1981. I took along a comic book edition which I also had signed. Any ideas on their value? The autographs are from Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams. Will Fernyhough, London
A These make a superb collection and have to be worth more than £600 each, maybe more. It is fair to say the Star Wars films started the global marketing of film tie-ins. The action figures and their sets were the staple activity of many childhoods. By the mid-Eighties, more than 300 million toys had been sold but the really great items are unique ones like signature sets. Some items with similar collections of cast autographs have sold for more than £1,000.
Q Can you value my Popeye Paddle Wagon, model No 802 made by Corgi? It is just as wacky as the cartoons. It is still in its original box and in excellent condition given the age. Max Wallace, Norwich
A It should make around £250 today if it has all its figures. When the company went live in 1956, it offered just 10 models. The first was the Ford Consul costing 2s 9d. Classics include The Batmobile, The Avengers Gift Set, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the James Bond Aston Martins. The Paddle Wagon toy is from the Sixties, features most of Popeye’s cartoon friends and is a cross between a car and a steamer.
Q A ceramic Royal Doulton figurine called The Old Balloon Seller has been in my family for generations. Can you tell me how much she is worth please? Alice Lewis, Derby
A Arguably the most famous ceramic figure ever produced, it might fetch £100 in top condition. It was designed by Lesley Harradine and first released in 1929. Folly, a similar Doulton figurine has made £2,350.