The First Star Wars Action Figures Had Canon-Breaking Lightsabers (& They’re Worth a LOT of Money)

by

Many people are discovering their childhood toys are now incredibly valuable. While those who carefully saved their toys in perfect condition might be in for a pleasant financial surprise, those who enjoyed playing with them as kids may find they’re not worth as much. Especially for fans of Kenner’s Star Wars toys – particularly figures of characters like Darth Vader – collectibles can fetch high prices, from hundreds to thousands of dollars. For instance, a sonic-controlled Land Speeder from the original Star Wars film is currently valued at around $19,000.

But some vintage Star Wars action figures are incredibly rare and fetch even higher prices. For example, a Darth Vader figure from the Jeff Jacob Collection recently sold for $130,095 at a Hake’s auction. Its value came from having a rare Double-Telescoping lightsaber – a design that was quickly pulled from production because it was prone to breaking.

Rare Classic Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader Action Figures Worth a Fortune

Okay, so I was watching this auction, and it was for a Darth Vader figure from 1978 – a really high-grade one, graded an 80 by AFA. It’s a ’12 Back-A’ version, which collectors go crazy for. This figure came from the famous Jeff Jacob Collection – they actually already sold a huge part of it for over $1.45 million! This was the second batch of items from that collection hitting the auction block, and there were a bunch of Star Wars toys up for grabs. The real key to this Vader’s price, though, was that it was a ‘Double-Telescoping’ version. Those are super rare and always fetch a ton of money – a real holy grail for Star Wars collectors like me!

Kenner, the company that made early Star Wars figures, only created three characters with a special, two-part lightsaber: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This design featured a thin blade that slid out of a thicker handle to extend for action. However, it didn’t last long because the lightsabers were fragile and broke easily. Due to manufacturing problems and cost, Kenner soon switched to making lightsabers in a single piece.

Darth Vader’s lightsaber was red, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s was blue, and Luke Skywalker’s was yellow. These toys became highly sought-after collectibles after they were discontinued, particularly if they were still in their original packaging. A Reddit user mentioned seven years ago that their unopened Obi-Wan Kenobi lightsaber was professionally graded, and that only around 12 or 13 had ever received such a high grade.

Just got my Obi Wan with double telescoping lightsaber graded. It’s one of 12 or 13 known graded.
byu/tron1977 inActionFigures

Any Star Wars collector would be thrilled to own this toy. Before the Darth Vader figure was auctioned, similar auctions featured the Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi figures, both with the highly sought-after Double-Telescoping lightsabers. An Obi-Wan Kenobi figure from the Jeff Jacob Collection sold for $105,182 in January 2025, and a Luke Skywalker figure went for $84,370 in March 2025. The Darth Vader figure sold for a higher price because it’s exceptionally rare – it’s the first Darth Vader figure graded AFA 80 to ever be sold at auction.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gear/news/pre-order-star-wars-darth-maul-lightsaber/embed/#

Read More

2026-05-02 20:11