BARGAIN BIN STAR WARS FIGURE SELLS FOR £2,000 AT AUCTION
A RARE Star Wars toy which was hunted out of a bargain bin for 99p has sold for £2,000.
A canny collector snapped up a Yak-Face figure from Return of the Jedi at a Tesco in the 1980s.
Originally priced at £1.59, it was marked down for a quick sale.
It was kept sealed in the original packaging and went under the hammer this week.
The figure was bought by another collector who then spent 20 years hunting down more toys from the film trilogy.
His collection of 37 figures went under the hammer and was expected to fetch a total of £20,000 at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbyshire, on Wednesday.
The 48-year-old, who works in financial services in Birmingham, said: “I remember seeing lots of figures for sale for 10p each in a shop called Crash Bang Wallop in the Swan Shopping Centre in South Yardley, Birmingham, in about 1986, when interest in the films had waned.
“I was still at school and they had a full box of about 50 toys, all rare examples of the last 17 figures.
“How I wished I had the money at the time. I just bought one and it’s still in my playedwith collection.
“I’ve been a big Star Wars fan since the films first came out.
“I purchased the figures about 20 years ago as an investment to go with my played-with collection from when I was a child.
“My favourite lot is a figure of Anakin Skywalker.
“It’s rare as the original actor’s appearance in the films has been cut with a different actor.
“I’m surprised by the rarity value of some of the toys as they were much more common when I purchased them.
“I’m selling now as I have a family and struggle to find anywhere to display them safely. It feels like the right time to sell.”
The most valuable figure, Anakin Skywalker, was expected to sell for between £3,000 and £5,000.