An extremely rare Star Wars action figure of bounty hunter Boba Fett has become the world’s most valuable toy, selling for a record $525,000 (£411,000). This hand-painted, missile-firing model, created by toy company Kenner in 1979, was never released to the public due to safety concerns. Only two such figures exist today.
The toy surpassed the previous record held by a diamond-adorned Barbie, which sold for $302,000 (£236,000) in 2010.The auction, conducted by Heritage Auctions, saw the Boba Fett figure more than double the previous record for the most expensive Star Wars action figure, which was also a rocket-firing Boba Fett sold for $236,000 (£185,000) in 2022.
The original toy, featuring a “rocket firing back pack,” was designed to be a promotional giveaway but was canceled due to choking hazard reports linked to a similar Mattel toy.
Of the approximately 100 prototypes created, this was one of only two hand-painted models, salvaged from discarded toys by an employee.
Heritage Auctions executive vice president Joe Maddalena highlighted the figure’s iconic status, noting its mythic reputation among collectors and non-collectors alike.
The Star Wars Signature auction, which included other notable items like a Skywalker lightsaber and a draft of George Lucas’ screenplay, garnered $1,662,000 (£1,301,000) from over 1,500 bidders.
