Retailer | Price | Diff | Lowest Found |
---|---|---|---|
Sold Auctions | Avg: $182.50 | +$180.51 (+9071%) | $182.50 |
Buy It Now | Avg: $195.20 | +$193.21 (+9709%) | $171.00 |
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This Boba Fett toy was added on November 2019 and originally released in 1979 with a retail price of $1.99. This action figure is part of the Star Wars genre within the Kenner Vintage Collection series and included in Wave 3. It can be found online by using the following codes: UPC: 39250 and on eBay (paid link). With an average selling price of $182.50, this toy is highly collectible as it's selling for 91x over its retail price. Hundreds of collectors have this toy (251) in their user collections, so it does seem to be very popular. AFA auctions are considered in determining the value of this item, potentially leading to a greater variance in the price range.
The rocket-firing Boba Fett rare variation of this action figure is a legendary piece among Star Wars collectors, primarily because of its notoriety as a toy that was never officially released to the public. This figure was based on the character Boba Fett, a bounty hunter from the Star Wars universe who first appeared on screen in an animated segment of the 1978 "Star Wars Holiday Special" and later in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983).
The figure was originally intended to be part of Kenner's Star Wars action figure line in 1979. It was advertised with a "rocket-firing" feature, which meant the small missile on the character's back was supposed to be able to launch. Kenner had promoted this feature heavily and even offered the figure as part of a mail-in rebate offer. Children and collectors could send in proofs of purchase from other figures and receive the Boba Fett figure by mail.
However, the rocket-firing feature was removed from the design before the figure was mass-produced and released to the public. This decision was made due to safety concerns following an incident with another toy line (Mattel's Battlestar Galactica vehicles) in which a child choked on a similar small, missile-like projectile. Consequently, Kenner retrofitted the design to have a non-removable rocket to prevent any potential accidents.
Because of this last-minute change, only a few prototype figures with the rocket-firing feature exist, and these prototypes never made it to the general market. Over the years, they have become some of the most sought-after Star Wars memorabilia items, commanding extremely high prices when they do occasionally surface in the collector's market. There are two types of prototypes known among collectors: the "L-Slot" version (named after the shape of the firing mechanism) and the "J-Slot" version (again, named after the shape of the mechanism). Both are extremely rare.
In 2019, a J-slot rocket-firing Boba Fett sold at Hake’s of York, Pennsylvania at $157,500 ($185,850 including buyer’s premium).
In 2021, a rocket-firing Boba Fett prototype figure was sold at auction for $165,200.