Rare Star Wars discovered!
Just when Star Wars collectors thought they had seen it all, along came The Morphy Find. That’s the name that has been given to a recently unveiled trove of rare, high-condition Star Wars toys that sat undisturbed in original Kenner shipping cartons, largely forgotten, since the 1970s an 80s.
The collection surfaced as most legendary discoveries do – unexpectedly. Its pristine contents had been stored in a cupboard, out of sight and out of mind, by an Illinois gentleman who is a collector of antique coin-op machines.
Morphy’s CEO, Tom Tolworthy said: “I asked why he had purchased so many. He explained that his kids were into the Star Wars movies at the time and that he had purchased the figures in multiple numbers – one to play with and the rest to put away. Obviously, he had exceptional foresight”.
When photos of the toys were shared it became immediately clear that the company had landed perhaps the most important Star Wars consignment ever.
On the day the consignment arrived at the gallery, two or three cartons were expected. Instead, there were approximately a dozen.
“It was like Christmas morning. With each carton that was opened, I was more and more stunned. For example, I didn’t know Kenner had ever shipped cases exclusively containing all eight Yodas, but there was a carton containing 24 of them – three of each type of Yoda.”
“The best pieces are the double-telescoping Luke Skywalkers, which were only available in Kenner’s Early Bird packs. There’s another first issue, a Death Commander, that was pulled because the manufacturer decided the word ‘Death’ was unsuitable for kids,”
Tommy Sage Jr, head of Morphy’s Toys & Trains division said: “Out of all of the figures, only a few have store price stickers, which means the consignor had to have placed a special order. After receiving the figures, he never removed them from the cartons. He opened the cartons, looked inside, then stored them away in a dry, climate-controlled place, which preserved them. Everything about this collection is astonishing.”
All of the first 21 figures are there, on Star Wars cards – Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R5D4, Boba Fett, and many others.
The Morphy Find will be auctioned by Morphy Auctions on Wednesday 1st February 2023. The session is enhanced by 148 other selected Star Wars action and display figures, packs, sets, cases, accessories and playsets from additional consignors. More details can be found at www.morphyauctions.com. ■