An extremely rare Star Wars action figure has become the world’s most valuable toy after it sold for a record $525,000 (£411,000).
The hand-painted and missile-firing model of the bounty hunter Boba Fett was never released to the public after it was deemed a choking hazard in the 1970s.
The toy, one of only two still in existence, comfortably beat what was previously the world’s priciest toy, a one-of-a-kind Barbie wearing a one-carat diamond, which sold for $302,000 (£236,000) in 2010.
Heritage Auctions said the price of the figure more than doubled the record for the most expensive Star Wars action figure sold at auction, which was previously held by a rocket-firing Boba Fett that went for $236,000 (£185,000) in 2022.
The model was created by toy company Kenner in 1979 based on the character, who was set to appear in The Empire Strikes Back the following year.
The toy, featuring a “rocket firing back pack”, was not available in stores and was to be sent for free to anyone who could prove they had bought four other Star Wars action figures.
But the rocket-toting toys never arrived after reports that competitor Mattel’s missile-firing Battlestar Galactica toys had become choking hazards.
Instead, when the figure arrived the rocket had been glued into place and there was a note to consumers explaining: “The launcher has been removed from the product for safety reasons.”
As many as 100 prototypes are believed to have been created, but this was one of only two which were hand-painted.
It survived after “it was salvaged from a box of discarded toys deposited there for employees to take home”, according to Star Wars expert and dealer Brian Rachfal’s letter of provenance.
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“The rocket-firing Boba Fett action figure long ago became such a mythic icon that people worldwide know about it even if they don’t collect anything at all,” said Heritage Auctions executive vice president Joe Maddalena.
“We knew this one had a chance to enter the record books, and it was thrilling to see it become the most valuable toy in the world.”
The Star Wars Signature auction brought in $1,662,000 (£1,301,000) after attracting more than 1,500 bidders.
It featured a second Boba Fett figure, a Skywalker lightsaber and a third draft of George Lucas’ screenplay for the first film, when it was still called The Star Wars: From The Adventures Of Luke Starkiller.