I believe all of us have a Star Wars "collection" to some degree. Right? You may not have fancy display cases or a whole room devoted to your treasures, but you have your "stuff" that you sometimes like to show off to the right audience. Of course, this is the same stuff that you may also try to hide around the rest of the world lest they think you quirky.

My SW collection is probably pretty "average" compared to most people here on the site. If you want to know how to do this thing right, though, you most definitely need to consult DJ Maul's Ultimate Toy Room Tour series.

As for me, the casual collector, I've noticed there are some rules among those like me. I hope that my little "how-to" list will be of some service to you or at least confirm that we are not so unlike each other. Scary, isn't it?

1. How-To-Find-The-Best-Stuff:

Antiques
Remember last year when your mom said, "I'm cleaning out the attic, want to help?" Yeah, well, you should have said yes. If you are a child of the OT, there were undoubtedly great treasures up in your parents' attic. So before you move out of your parents house or they move out of your childhood home, be sure to take a swing through the boxes marked "Bobby's Toys" to see what SW goodies are hidden inside.

New Items
Too embarrassed to stroll through the toy department without holding the hand of a child? Frightened of surfing the internet all alone? Worried what others will think if.... wait wait wait.... I've forgotten my audience here. You already know this one.

Used Items
Nothing beats scamming a good friend out of a great collector's item except perhaps the smell of napalm in the morning. You must be tactful, though, when extracting your friend's SW toys. Be sure they truly don't care about their old toys AND that they are actually aware of the value of the item (both to you & to other collectors) so that you are not stealing from them. In many cases, it may help to lie a bit - say you want the toy for your kid (or a niece or nephew, and if you don't have kids in your family, then you're on your own with making up your own excuses). If you are like myself & my brother, who both still have plenty of our old SW toys BUT covet each other's collections, it could be wise to trade - several sentimental items for one worth money.

Setting up your Collection for Display

I'm not so good at this aspect of it, because my collection is scattered about the house. My feeling is that it's better to enjoy my stuff than just stare at it through glass. Besides, most of the old stuff has already been well loved & somewhat destroyed, so no point in babying it now!

I have, in the bottom drawer of an old chest, a box of action figures, lasers & lightsabers, capes, movie cards, very small rocks & old bits of string. No one, and I mean no one, touches this box except me. Max Rebo, though, has a place of honor on top of my piano - something which Beethoven's bust can't even claim in this house. My son, then, has all my ships & larger items (AT-AT, Snowspeeder, Hoth Echo Base and a completely demolished B-Wing to name a few). Personally, it feels great to see him playing with this stuff - that 30 years later he is having as much fun with them as I did as a kid. Besides, none of this stuff is "worth" in money just one smile on my kid's face.

Collection Essentials

So what should your collection contain? After much research (or something) here's Oboe-Wan's Top 10 Vintage Collector's Items:

10. One broken ship fixed with duct tape
9. One action figure missing all 4 limbs
8. One vintage action figure still in original packaging (usually a worthless jawa)
7. A random head
6. At least 100 stormtroopers
5. A movie poster from any year between 1977 and 1983
4. One Jedi with lightsaber still attached to his arm
3. One action figure that is actually worth some money (IF he'd still been in the box)
2. A 78 of the Star Wars soundtrack and/or a 45 of Star Wars Funk

And the #1 item your collection should include:
1. Every single last thing you couldn't possibly part with as a kid when your mom said, "Clean out your toys."


I hope in some weird way this little list has helped you. I know these are the rules I live by and my SW collection is definitely something I take pride in if only becuase it is the most accurate chronicle of my childhood.

PICTURES