These old Star Wars toys are worth a fortune

When the original Star Wars movie came out in 1977, I was all but the tender age of four when my parents took me and my brother to see it at a drive-in. While I have absolutely no memory of this introduction to a galaxy far, far way, it must have left an impression. Because when Kenner introduced a line of Star Wars figures the following year, I do remember going completely bonkers after seeing little plastic versions of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and R2-D2 lining the shelves of my local K-Mart. Hundreds of joyful hours were spent playing with these toys in all matter of punishing environments (bathtubs and sandlots come to mind).

Now, however, I wish I’d been a bit gentler with those figures. In fact, I wish I’d left them pristinely intact in their packages, had them hermetically sealed and then safely tucked them away in a safety deposit box. If I had, those same toys would now be worth hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. Don’t believe me? Before the latest Star Wars movie that was released late last year, Sotheby’s held an auction called ”Return of the NIGO.” All sorts of vintage Star Wars items were up for grabs, some with estimates as high as $35,000. Check out our gallery to see stuff that sold. (42” plush Chewbacca, anyone?)

And be sure to check our guide to winning auctions here. Despite the air of exclusivity, sometimes it’s just better to sit on your hands and not get caught up in excitement and emotion of a heated bidding war.