'Star Wars' Toy Bought For 99p Could Net Collector A Hefty Profit Of Over £1000

A rare Star Wars toy that was once sold for under a pound could potentially sell for more than £1000 at an auction held in the United Kingdom.

The toy in question, made by UK-based Palitoy and dating back to 1983, around the release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, is a plastic figure of Saelt-Marae, more affectionately known as Yak Face. A minor character who worked for Jabba the Hutt before the sail barge disaster in the movie's first act, the fact that he is remembered to this day is a testament to the ability of Star Wars fans to popularize even the most seemingly trivial characters, no matter how brief the screen-time.

RELATED: The Hidden Details In 'LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' That Is Blowing The Minds Of Fans

Saelt-Marae was present for the scheduled execution-by-Sarlacc of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca on the Great Pit of Carkoon, presumably on Jabba's sail barge as an audience member. While his fate in canon remains unknown, with little information about him available, his story is slightly expanded upon in the Legends (formerly known as Expanded Universe) continuity, where he worked as a secretive information broker for Jabba the Hutt.

Not much else is known about him, except that he fathered children and lived for over 200 years, eventually separating from his partner. After Jabba's death, he fled Tattooine - but not after stealing many of the late crime lord's confidential financial records. His ultimate fate in the Legends timeline remains unknown, although his memoirs were discovered on an unknown planet in the Outer Rim sometime later, where a community of his species had coalesced. These memoirs provided galactic researchers (known as sentientologists; essentially anthropologists that studied various intelligent species across the galaxy) with more knowledge on the lives of the Yarkora, the secretive species to which Saelt-Marae belonged.

Yak Face is being auctioned off alongside thirty-seven other Star Wars toys by an anonymous 48-year-old collector and avid Star Wars fan from Birmingham, England, who works in financial services. He has the potential to earn up to £20,000 from the successful auctioning of these relics. "I'm surprised by the rarity value of some of the toys as they were much more common when I purchased them," he commented.

The company handling the auctions is Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd., an auction house based in Derbyshire, England, operating around the UK. The firm auctions a wide variety of merchandise, specializing in fine art and antiques, including nostalgic toys. They are offering Yak Face for sale at a guide price of 800-1000 pounds - over an 800% increase from its original price.

Dave Wilson Turner, head of Toys at Hansons Auctioneers, said, "It's amazing to think a Star Wars toy on sale for less than £1 in 1983 is now potentially worth 1,000 times its original price tag." In 1983, Saelt-Marae was sold for only £1.59, later reduced to a meager 99 pence.

With the Star Wars franchise having been rebooted by Disney and increasingly new content on the rise, such as The Mandalorian and the sequel trilogy, it would seem that classic Star Wars toys and action figures are starting to be in demand once again, with older, antiquated ones heavily increasing in value.

For those interested in collecting vintage Star Wars toys and figures, if Yak Face is any indication, we are bound to continue to see antique Star Wars action figures go up in value.

One is to wonder if a minor character such as Saelt-Marae is to be auctioned at such high prices, how expensively will vintage action figures of more popular characters such as Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader be auctioned away or sold?

Thank you for reading our article today. If you want to keep up to date with our latest stories, please consider becoming a pledge or, alternatively, please consider leaving a tip. This will help us continue to keep bringing new and interesting content. You can also check out our video content on the following YouTube channels, where you can subscribe to keep up to date: Star Wars Culture, Eye On Canon, The Star Wars Underworld, Chatter Squadron.

READ NEXT: Hayden Christensen Teases His Time As Darth Vader Might Not Be Over

Written by Rishav Banerjee

Source(s): BBC

Syndicated from Culture Slate

Join The Team