Movies drive the interest in toys, comics and other collectibles. It’s certainly no guarantee you will make a profit if you are just buying and selling, but Boba Fett is just reinforcing the notion that filming for a movie, a streaming service or even a TV show can drive interest higher in collectibles. The Star Wars character of Boba Fett is now a much more complicated for Star Wars fans since Disney+ gave Boba his own series. His prototype toy that is about 40 years old now costs more than what an average home used to cost.

The Kenner Star Wars Boba Fett version 2 J-slot rocket-firing prototype action figure from 1979 is among the most valuable items that Star Wars collectors can get their hands on. This 3-3/4″ action figure would also qualify as an investment vehicle within the alternative asset class of collectibles.

To prove the thesis, an example of his prototype doll is now the Star Wars galaxy’s most expensive Star Wars figure known in any toy auction. Hake’s Auctions sold the action figure for an astounding $204,435.00 in its March 16, 2022 auction event that had a massive number of items — including about 300 Star Wars items alone!. The lot had 27 bids before ending at this record price.

Image below by Hake’s Auctions.

The estimate for this example of the collectible action figure was $100,000 to $200,000. We had already pondered that it was very possible that the prototype action figure could fetch a new world record. Even with a week to go, the prototype had a then-current bid of $82,500.00 after 11 bids.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates collectibles as an alternative asset class. This implies that the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds is being used to buy high-end collectibles. Well, $100,000 to $200,000 for a toy prototype could probably go a long way investing in stocks — and it’s still enough money to buy a home in some smaller markets or for a serious down payment in many urban markets.

Hake’s had previously offered another Bobe Fett J-Slot prototype example: an AFA 85+ NM+ example and it sold for $185,850 in November 2019. Hake’s has also shown how the demand and value has steadily continued to rise since then. Image below is from Hake’s Auctions. They had even made reference to Boba Fett’s L-Slot prototype as being slightly more obtainable while still having seen an upward trajectory in recent Hake’s auctions. It showed three different AFA 85 NM+ examples with sales prices as follows:

• $86,383 in March 2018
• $112,926 in July 2019
• $165,200 in June 2021 (full details)

Investing in collectibles is often not as efficient as investing in stocks or bonds, but it may be a lot more fun. More details about this item in particular can be found in our pre-auction synopsis that gives a full description and additional data about this being in the theme of collectibles as an alternative asset class.