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Droolworthy Star Wars vintage toys up for auction (pictures)

A rare Luke action figure with a double-telescoping lightsaber. A complete set of droids from 1985. Check out some of the "Hoth-some" gems from another galaxy set to hit the Sotheby's auction block.

Eric Mack
Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.
Eric Mack
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1 of 18 Sotheby's

'Power of the Force' coin sets

Sotheby's and Japanese designer Nigo, a Star Wars superfan, plan to auction 175 lots of vintage Star Wars toys from the collector's personal stash. The most valuable item is this display of two complete sets of collectible coins provided on special request from toy company Kenner back in 1985. It's estimated that it will go for as much as $35,000 (AU$49,165, £23,008) at the December 11 online auction.

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2 of 18 Sotheby's

Luke with 'double-telescoping' lightsaber

This rare action figure from 1978 features our hero, Luke Skywalker, with a two-piece double-telescoping lightsaber. Sotheby's says there are only 20 confirmed examples of this version, which is estimated to be auctioned off at $12,000 (AU$16,857, £7,889)- $18,000 (AU$25,285, £11,833).

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3 of 18 Sotheby's

‘Tri-logo’ General Madine action figure

I don't recall this General Madine action figure being a hot seller when it was released in 1983, but with only about 12 of this particular version believed to be in the wild, Sotheby's expects it to fetch as much as $15,000 (AU$21,071, £9,861).

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4 of 18 Sotheby's

Cookie jars

I can't prove it, but I'm confident these cookie jars dating back to 1997 actually make even the worst oatmeal raisin cookie taste like they were baked in Jabba's kitchen.

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5 of 18 Sotheby's

Canadian 'Empire Strikes Back' figurines

This seven-pack of figurines from "The Empire Strikes Back" was sold almost exclusively though Sears Canada in 1980, making them rare examples of Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, among others.


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6 of 18 Sotheby's

Dooku's lightsaber

That's right, it's a replica of Count Dooku's lightsaber, because someone's gotta be the bad guy, right?

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7 of 18 Sotheby's

'Early bird' store display

The success of the original "Star Wars" in 1977 was so unexpected that toy company Kenner didn't have action figures ready in time for the holiday shopping season. Instead, the company made these cardboard store displays available for devoted fans. They included boxes and certificates to send away for toys that would arrive by mail in early 1978. This is said to be one of five existing examples of a complete and unsent box. Resisting the urge to mail it off back then means it could be worth $9,000 (AU$12,642, £5,916) today.

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8 of 18 Sotheby's

‘12B-back’ action figures

How anyone resisted the urge to take these guys out of the packaging since 1978 is beyond me. The lot includes Chewbacca, Ben Kenobi, Sand People, C-3P0 and Luke Skywalker.

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9 of 18 Sotheby's

​Darth Vader CinemaCast statue

Not all lots in the upcoming Star Wars auction carry starting bids in the four figures. This statue of the Jedi turned Sith Lord is estimated at between $200 (AU$281, £131) - $400 (AU$562, £263).

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10 of 18 Sotheby's

'Revenge of the Sith' clonetrooper helmet

This limited-edition clone trooper helmet from "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" comes with a stand and plaque from the run of just 2,500. Its estimated auction price is $300 (AU$421, £197) - $500 (AU$702, £329).

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11 of 18 Sotheby's

Chewbacca plush doll

The question should not be how you can afford to pay real money for a Chewbacca plush doll. The question should be how you can afford to sleep soundly without one. This guy is 42 inches (107 centimeters) and was never for sale. It was used for store displays in Canada.

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12 of 18 Sotheby's

'Revenge of the Jedi' R2-D2 proof cards

That's right, these are just the blank proof cards from the cardboard packaging for the "Return of the Jedi" action figures, but they could still fetch as much as $5,000 (AU$7,024, £3,287) at auction.

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13 of 18 Sotheby's

​Yoda plush toy

Another "bargain," estimated to go for $100 (AU$140, £66) - $200 (AU$280, £132), this plush Yoda from 2005 will warm the holidays with the Force.

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14 of 18 Sotheby's

'Return of the Jedi' lunch box

Am I the only one who actually had one of these lunch boxes in the '80s? Maybe I shouldn't have tried to use it to catch crawfish all those years ago before finally throwing the rusty thing out.

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15 of 18 Sotheby's

Droid action figures

This complete set of droids from 1985 includes some names that only hard-core fans will remember. Besides C-3PO and R2-D2, there's also Kea Moll, Thall Joben, Jan Tosh, Kez Iban, Jord Dusat, Uncle Gundy, Tig Fromm and Sise Fromm.

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16 of 18 Sotheby's

Polish version of 'A New Hope Poster'

Someone who grew up in Warsaw probably remembers this Polish language version of the poster for "Star Wars" from 1978.

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17 of 18 Sotheby's

Signed Boba Fett helmet

This Boba Fett helmet seems like a steal if it goes for the high-end estimate of $1,200 (AU$1,687, £789) when you consider it was part of a limited run of just 600 and is signed in gold ink by the man in the helmet, Jeremy Bulloch.

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18 of 18 Sotheby's

Autographed Vader helmet

This limited-edition replica of Darth Vader's helmet from the auction is signed by Anakin himself, Hayden Christensen. All 175 lots in the Sotheby's auction will be available for online bidding starting December 11, a week before the worldwide premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

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