One of the rarest, most highly coveted Star Wars toys reached a record price at Hake’s Auctions. A rocket-firing Boba Fett prototype (L-slot) AFA 85+ shot to $112,926 on Thursday, July 11, 2019, during the second night of closing in Hake’s Auction #227. Not only did the prototype establish a new in-house record for a Star Wars toy, it is a new world record for a Star Wars toy and the first time one from the series surpassed six figures in an auction.
The 3-3/4” rocket-firing Boba Fett prototype was made by Kenner in 1979 and displayed at the Toy Fair in New York City. The figure never went into mass production, possibly due to the choking hazard of the rocket or because of production issues with the rocket-firing mechanism.
After being introduced in The Empire Strikes Back and his subsequent appearance in Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett became one of the most popular Star Wars characters. Though he had limited screen time, the bounty hunter became a favorite among audiences for his tough demeanor, attractive costume, and interesting gadgetry.
That popularity combined with the rarity of the prototype make it one of the most sought after Star Wars toys in the galaxy.
“While most action figure prototypes are collected by a much smaller pool of collectors versus the production pieces, the Boba Fett prototypes are a totally different matter,” Hake’s President Alex Winter said. “That prototype has achieved legendary status over the years and transcended to a ‘holy grail,’ known by even the most casual fan and coveted by even the most advanced collector. It continues to escalate in value, as evidence by our last two sales. While only about a year apart, and for the same version and AFA grade, we eclipsed our previous auction record price by over $26,000.”
That figure Winter referred to is another L-slot variety of the prototype, which Hake’s sold for $86,383 in March 2018.
On the heels of this exceptional sale, Hake’s Auctions announced that they’ll offer another rocket-firing Boba Fett prototype. This time an even rarer J-slot variety, it’ll be open for bids in their next premier auction, scheduled for November 2019. According to Hake’s, that J-slot figure has the potential to sell for twice the amount of the L-slot. For more details on the J-slot prototype, check out our Industry News coverage.
