Star Wars merchandise has been moving units since the original film hit theaters on Memorial Day weekend in 1977. What started as a block of scrolling text on a cinema screen evolved into a global phenomenon. Kenner sold over 26 million action figures in 1978 alone. By the time the initial vintage run ended in 1985, they had pushed past 250 million units.
Most of these plastic icons have lost nearly all monetary worth. But a tiny fraction has held its value or skyrocketed. If you have a box of old collectibles sitting in the attic, it might be worth checking. Here are the ten most valuable Star Wars toys on the market right now.
10: Stormtrooper Luke
Interest in the franchise dipped after Return of the Jedi arrived in 1983. Kenner needed to keep sales up. They launched “The Power of the Force” line to capture new fans. The Stormtrooper Luke figure was one of the final releases in this era.
Fans had already moved on. Few were produced. That scarcity gives the figure a value boost today, especially compared to other Power of the Force items. It is also notable for being inspired by A New Hope, a rarity among those later releases.
In mint condition, still sealed in the original box, this figure is worth around $450. Even an unpackaged version can fetch about $175.
9: Vinyl-cape Jawa
Every collector inspects a Jawa figure’s robe immediately. The material matters. Cloth capes are common. Vinyl capes are extremely rare.
In 1978, Kenner released the first Jawa toys. The original prototypes featured vinyl capes. Factory designers thought the material looked cheap. They switched to cloth before mass production began.
Only about six vinyl cape Jawas remain. If you own one, you can likely name your own price. One sold for $16,000 in 2013.
8: Palitoy Medical Droid
High prices usually belong to major characters. Sometimes, however, the packaging drives the value.
Kenner figures flew off shelves in the U.S. Palitoy, a British toy maker, produced its own UK-specific line. One item stands out. An unnamed medical droid from this line sold for $11,000 at auction in 2013.
Released in 1980, the FX-7 droid featured a tiny plastic probe arm. It far exceeded its estimated value. The packaging played a huge role. The figure was sealed in mint condition. Crucially, the retailer hole had not been punched. This untouched detail added significant worth.
7: Vlix
The 1985 animated series Droids inspired a new toy line. Kenner included minor characters who had never appeared in action figure form before. Vlix is one of them. He is a portly blue villain.
A carded Vlix figure can reach $12,000. Collectors desperate to complete their sets pay top dollar. Why is a relative unknown so valuable? Scarcity.
The Droids line underperformed. Kenner scrapped the toys in 1985. Production halted. Later, rights to some canceled items went to a Brazilian company. They manufactured Vlix exclusively for Brazil. U.S. collectors never had a chance to buy him initially. That lack of domestic release makes surviving examples exceedingly rare in America.
6: Blue Snaggletooth
Kenner had limited design inspiration in 1977 and ’78. For the Snaggletooth character, they only had a small, black-and-white, waist-up photo.
With so little reference, Kenner guessed. They made the figure blue. They added silver boots. They sized him like the other characters. The problem? In the film, Snaggletooth was a red dwarf with big hairy feet. No boots.
This oversized blue version only appeared in the 1978 Cantina Adventure playset. Kenner corrected the color and proportions afterward. The original mistake sells for around $350, loose. It never came on an individual card, which helps explain the price point for unboxed specimens.
5: Yak Face
Timing is everything in the collector’s market, and Yak Face has the worst luck imaginable. This minor extra from Return of the Jedi never actually saw a U.S. release. The initial Power of the Force line tanked at retail, forcing Kenner to cancel distribution stateside. They shifted production to Europe, where the movie was still riding a massive cultural wave. That logistical pivot created a vacuum in the American market. A mint, carded Yak Face is essentially a ghost — a toy that existed only in Europe and a collector’s dream. If you find one in pristine condition, expect to pay around $1,900 for the privilege of owning a piece of rejected inventory.
4: Weequay
Most Weequay guards are easy to find, but a specific variant defies that logic. Released during the mid-90s Power of the Force resurgence, the standard carded figure is worth a modest $35. It’s a fun entry-level collectible, but it’s the sealed version with the “freeze-frame” slide that changes the math. These slides were bundled with only a select number of figures, creating a scarcity that drove prices up tenfold. A sealed Weequay with that rare accessory can fetch $350. It’s not the top of the food chain, but it’s a solid proof that packaging details still matter.
3: Anakin Skywalker
The 1985 Power of the Force Anakin is a valuation rollercoaster. The catch? You need the box. Kenner originally pushed this figure through a mail-away promotion. Customers who opted for that route received Anakin loose in a plastic bag, devoid of the collector-grade card. When Kenner finally put the packaged version on store shelves, many fans had already claimed their loose version. Retail sales were sluggish. The figure lacks accessories, sporting only a collector’s coin and an unsettlingly cheerful smile, yet that unopened package is worth between $2,250 and $3,000. It’s a lesson in how distribution channels can artificially inflate value.
2: Missile-firing Boba Fett
This one is a tragedy of safety regulations. In 1979, Kenner was ready to drop a Boba Fett figure with a functional missile. The design featured a small red rocket on the back that kids could launch with a flick of a switch. Then Mattel recalled a similar projectile toy from their Battlestar Galactica line. The FDA and parents grew nervous about choking hazards. Kenner panicked. They scrapped the moving parts and welded the rocket in place for the retail release. The result was a less dynamic toy, but a safer one. The original missile-firing prototype never hit store shelves. If you somehow possess one of these pre-recall prototypes, you are sitting on a fortune. It is arguably one of the rarest Star Wars toys ever made, simply because it was too dangerous to sell.
1: Double-telescoping Lightsaber
The holy grail isn’t a huge statue or a full costume. It’s a plastic nub, barely an inch long. In 1978, Kenner released early figures of Darth Vader, Obi-Wan, and Luke with a clever gimmick. Their arms were hollow, allowing the lightsaber to slide in and out, simulating an “ignition” effect. Most early run figures have a single telescoping section. But a tiny fraction of the manufacturing batch has a double-telescoping saber. The first section slides out, revealing a second, even smaller plastic tip inside. Kenner realized this extra complexity was a manufacturing nightmare. Kids broke it constantly. They reverted to the single-section design before mass production ramped up. Today, a mint, unopened figure with that double-telescoping blade commands over $2,000. It’s a rare mechanical quirk from the first year of the toy line.
