Forum thread of the month – October 2014: Who was the UK equivalent of Steve Denny? (via SWFUK)

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Welcome to the second installment of our new segment – ‘Forum thread of the month’, where we scan the three main English speaking forums, Rebelscum, The Imperial Gunnery (TIG) and Star Wars Forum UK (SWFUK) to pick out the most interesting collector related thread for the month.

Here is last month’s pick if you missed it. It will be a tough thread to top and it’s still ongoing. Admittedly I did bump it a few days ago though…

This week’s thread comes straight out of the UK via SWFUK and its title was “Who was the UK equivalent of Steve Denny?”

http://www.starwarsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22900

The thread was quite short but I found it very interested, particularly given how much I deal and socialise with UK collectors. While we hear a lot about U.S based collectors and the history of U.S collecting, sometimes it’s easy to forget that there were a lot of UK collectors (not to mention European based collectors) also doing the rounds back in the day. I’d love to see similar threads for other countries.

I’ll let you read the thread yourselves but the two names who kept popping up as the UK equivalent of Steve Denny were Jason Joiner and Jim Stevenson. I’ve heard of and interacted with Jason Joiner, who is quite the controversial figure and also the whistle blower on the Toy Tony scam but I had not heard of Jim Stevenson. So it was cool to get a bit of a history lesson.

For those who haven’t heard of him, U.S based Steve Denny is an absolute giant of vintage Star Wars collecting. He was recently interviewed by the Kenner Collector blog and what a scorcher of an interview it was. Check it out!

http://www.kennercollector.com/2014/03/kenner-collector-focus-interview-with-star-wars-collector-steve-denny/

 

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Thank you everyone for the 500 likes!

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Hi guys,

Just a quick one to thank you all for supporting the blog and its Facebook and Twitter pages. While I put this blog together for the love of our hobby and not for the love of the numbers of ‘likes’ or subscribers, I’m not going to pretend that I’m not honoured. When I started the page, I sincerely thought it might reach 100-200 tops and I would have been happy with that, no-one wants to write to an empty audience.

Hosting a blog is great fun but it’s also very scary. In a lot of ways we are really setting ourselves up to get cut down and every time I write an article or post an interview, I think to myself ‘Is this ridiculous?’ or ‘Is this worth reading?”. But the rewards are absolutely worth it and I’m loving it so far.

We have another big month coming up; including a HUGE four person interview, more collector snapshots and loads of articles about collecting in general.

Hope you all continue to enjoy the blog and thanks again for the support!

Christian

Collector Snapshot #6 – Krille Söderlund (aka ‘yeahsus007’)

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Welcome to the sixth episode of our regular segment, where a vintage collector is given 10 short questions to answer. The same questions will be given to the next collector appearing on the segment.

Next up to bat is Krille Söderlund. He is 38 years old and was born and raised in Sweden where he lives with his girlfriend and their daughter.

VSWC: Here’s Krille relaxing after a tough day playing with his Star Wars toys. 

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If you’ve ever come across Krille on Facebook or the forums (he is yeahsus007 on Rebelscum and Yeah-sus on SWFUK), more than likely you’ve noticed what a positive collector he is and that not only does he have a beautiful collection but he it always willing to contribute to vintage discussions. Krille is also very modest so a lot may be surprised to see how comprehensive his collection is.Yes that’s right, Krille is another example of how annoying Scandinavians can be – they all seem to be good looking, self-confident, friendly and intelligent.

Here we go!

1. How long have you been collecting?

I started with my childhood collection back in 2006 after a double date with a couple my girlfriend knows. He showed me his toys and when I pulled out mine from the box in my parent’s garage I was hooked and have never looked back.

2. What do you collect?

I started with collecting loose ships and figures,variants,boxed ships and now I’m mainly collecting carded figures. During the years I’ve been able to pick up oddballs, posters and some paperwork. My ‘goal’ is one MIB of every ship and figure released by Kenner. I also have a soft spot for Playmix/Scanditoys marked toys and everything relating to Star Wars in Sweden.

VSWC: Check out Krille’s collection. Not only is it filled with fantastic pieces but the set-up is as stylish as you’ll get. Even the Persian rug is all class! 

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3. What’s your grail?

I’m one of those lucky bastards with my grail already in my collection. A 12-back Palitoy Darth Vader MOC with a Swedish price sticker.

VSWC: Photo of Krille’s grail below. Yep he’s definitely one lucky bastard!

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4. What collectors inspire you?

I’ve been inspired by collectors with great knowledge and who help out in the community. I will take the time to thank my Swedish mentors who always watch my back: Mattias Rendahl, Daniel Bornheim, Johan Sydling, Fredrik Juthberg, Rasmus Hult , POTF Micke and of course the rest of the gang in SSWC (Swedish Star Wars Collectors). 

5. What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector?

I don’t have any shame in my body so until now nothing.

6. What is your favorite Star Wars film?

As a kid Return of the Jedi but as an adult Empire Strikes Back.

7. What would you change about the collecting community?

In a perfect world we would all be friends, be happy for the collections of others and their scores. I hope someday everybody understands we are collecting toys and it’s meant to be fun.

8. Forums or Facebook groups?

I love forums for the knowledge and all of the info that is easy to reach but Facebook is great for superfast answers and is the easy way to publish photos

9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble?

I see myself as Yoda but I think my friends think of me more as Han Solo; loud but kind.

10. Is there one thing that collectors may not know about you?

I’m a hoarder and hate to let go of things. My motto is “Buy it so you have it.”

VSWC: Well thank you so much for joining us Krille. I know you’re a busy man so I appreciate your time. Keep collecting and stay cool! 

The virtues of patience in collecting vintage Star Wars

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Hi guys,

Did everyone get a chance to read the fantastic article from Trilogo.info that we shared a couple of days ago? Well here it is again:

http://vintagestarwarscollectors.com/fantastic-new-article-from-trilogo-info/

Joe’s article definitely provoked a lot of conversation, mainly in regards to his opinions on trilogo prices and the role of the AFA in relation to price inflation. While these were excellent points, I focussed more on what Joe’s had to say about the virtues of being a patient collector and there are a few thoughts I’d like to share briefly.

Everyone is free to collect in whatever style they like, however I feel sometimes that some newer collectors are buying cabinets of expensive pieces in order to gain respect/kudos from other collectors. One thing that I’ve learnt though is that collectors, particularly those who have contributed so significantly to our hobby, couldn’t care less how much your collection is worth or how rare your pieces are. Rather, you’ll gain respect if you seek to learn about the actual pieces you are collecting. I also think a bit of modesty about your collection also goes a long way….

How about my own collecting habits? I’ve only been collecting a bit under two years. I started off pretty slow, buying an MOC here and there until I learnt more about how to spot a reseal, repro etc. I also took some time to work out exactly what I wanted to collect (Luke Skywalker!). But I must admit that I then went a bit mental with my spending in trying to get as many Luke MOCs and loose variants as I could in such a short time. I’ve now taken my pedal off the metal and I’m really taking my time to target what I want to buy. Collecting for me is a long game and I don’t want to burn out after only two years. So why did my attitude change? I know I’m saying this at the risk of offending some readers but it was actually my becoming more active on the Facebook groups that gave me some perspective on my collecting habits. I was a bit tired of witnessing the hourly cavalcade of high-grade and extremely expensive MOCs being posted one after another in the Facebook groups by collectors who had pretty much just joined the hobby and did not seem to have a lot knowledge about the pieces they were collecting. Now I sincerely do not mean offence to these collectors and I don’t feel the way I do out of misplaced jealousy or envy. Anyway who am I to tell you what to buy and when to buy? It’s just not how I want to collect anymore. To be honest I think I’ve always enjoyed the social side of collecting more than the actual collecting aspect so I’m fine with being patient.

I want to add to the above that although I do have my views on patience in collecting, the situation is not always black and white. There are collectors that are in a hurry because they want to gain respect in the hobby, but I also know several collectors who are quite new to the hobby and have massive collections already but I don’t get the feeling they are doing it for validation from others. They don’t seem to care what anyone else thinks and they simply just love collecting, have the financial means to support their habit and have boundless energy.

So what kind of collector are you? Are any of you as patient as this guy?

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Fantastic new article from Trilogo.info!

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I absolutely have to share this excellent article from Joe O’Brien at Trilogo.info:

http://trilogo.info/features/current-prices-rarity-afa/

Joe’s words really echo my own sentiments and I’m sure a lot of collectors agree with him. Not only does Joe provide an informed and measured perspective on trilogo market prices (including AFA inflation) and rarity but he delivers some well-timed advice on the virtues of patience in our collecting habits. Joe’s not trying to tell us how to collect, he’s simply suggesting another option; one that is more suitable to an enjoyable and long-term collecting career than the ‘buy the most expensive pieces I can as quick as I can’ attitude that seems so prevalent with newer collectors.

Thank Joe for yet another thought provoking article.Well said and well played!

Trilogo.info is also on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trilogoinfo/233084220070576

Collector Snapshot #6 – Chris Bernst

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Welcome to the sixth episode of our regular segment, where a vintage collector is given 10 short questions to answer. The same questions will be given to the next collector appearing on the segment.

My next victim is my friend Chris Bernst, who has being a big supporter of the blog from day one and for that I’m very grateful. Chris is 41 years old and lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada with his wife and their two girls but he spent most of his life in Victoria BC with a couple of three year stints in Vancouver and Toronto…He’s a bit of a jack of all trades and has worked as a cook, waiter, bartender, carpenter, horse and buggy tour guide, security guard, toy show vendor, fire investigator, and most recently a fibre-optic splicer….His newest venture includes his family as they prepare to bring life back into a vacant heritage building with a neighbourhood pub…

Chris is an avid Star Wars collector and runs two collector groups on Facebook ” Batteries not Included Collectors Group Inc.” and “Indiana Jones and Collectors Covenant”. I love the “Batteries not Included” group as it provides a meeting place for both modern and vintage collectors and the admin team encourages intelligent and respectful discussion. Bad seeds are very quickly weeded out.

Chris’ love for Star Wars came at the age of five when his older brother, who he always looked up to, introduced him to the world of Star Wars. Like most of us, he was hooked line and sinker. His parents built (bought!) his Star Wars universe….When he received a good school report card or scored a touchdown in a football game he would be rewarded (like lots of kids in the 1970s) with Star Wars figures. And he had them all…from the start It was on…..and he hasn’t stopped..

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Here we go!

1. How long have you been collecting?

I’ve been collecting Star Wars literally since they were first released. I remember my brother getting the early bird certificate when we were kids,and when I first saw his figures I needed them too….the passion never really stopped for me. I mean it tapered in my mid to late teens when I discovered rock music and that girls had boobs…I moved around a lot so I kept my stuff packed up at my grandmas from the time I was 12 until I was about 24 (it remained untouched) with the resurgence of the POTF2 line. That’s where it started again for me in 1997.

2. What do you collect?

Well I collect a lot but my main focus is vintage. There is just something about these toys that meant so much to me growing up. I have a near complete vintage Kenner collection and I’m only missing seven items; which are readily available. Perhaps something inside me is holding back on finishing the complete set because then I’d have em all. Now what? I also collect modern figures. I have almost 800 MOC figures dating back to 1997 to present. I’m also into vintage Star Wars cards, comics, mags, ect….I do collect lots of other toys but for now let’s stick to Star Wars.

VSWC: Here are a few photos of Chris’ enormous collection! 

chrischris5chris 9   chris4 chris10 chris2

3. What’s your grail?

Well my grail is one that’s worthless and would end up on some Facebook group as a $2 beater. I mean I have pieces worth hundreds of dollars but my Big Head Han with his crazy glued head is my jewel. He’s been through everything with me, first day of school, doctor visits, dentist visits, funerals, hockey games, foot ball games, college –  this little guy has been through it all. He was even in my breast pocked when I married my beautiful wife. To me this figure is priceless.

4. What collectors inspire you?

Well immediately Sir Steve comes to mind. The guy is a wealth of Star Wars collectible knowledge. He literally wrote the book (s) on the subject. How can you not be inspired by that? Look at Bill McBride’s Vader collection….that’s unbelievable. There are so many collectors I meet who have these great collections, good people who are willing to help other collectors attain their goals….that in itself is inspiring.

5. What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector?

I’m not sure I’ve had enough embarrassing collecting moments that warrants a best…I do remember in 1997 I was living in Victoria, BC. One of my best friends and I were making pretty fantastic bootleg copies of “The Holiday Special” to sell in the line up at the theater opening night. He did the artwork for the cover while I duped the movies…we walked up and down the two block line-up trying to flog the tapes…..there was a comic book store / directly beside the theatre I went in thinking well shit this guy will want them. I was wrong he wanted no part of it of what I was offering. He literally chased me out of the store into a sea of Star Wars fans yelling ” Star Wars Bootlegger”. My friend and I did ok though lol….Later that night on the local news there was a guy attending the later showing of the film who actually brought his TV and VCR and was playing our tape in the line-up.

6. What is your favourite Star Wars film?

No question for me….Empire…I loved the snow scenes as a kid. Growing up in northern Ontario we get a lot of snow in the winter and I could really relate to seeing my childhood heroes in the snow…that and the toys from Empire kicked ass!! I was able to recreate so many scenes from Empire..

7. What would you change about the collecting community?

I’d like to see online FB transactions documented as best as they can be(at least the bad transactions) I’d like to think that I am doing my part with my Feedback list on “Batteries Not Included.” Our goal was to make the ‘Buy, Sell and Trade’ community a safer one and with the help of two great admins, Gary Haygood and Paul Galactic Armory, we have created and maintained a very useful feedback list. The list has over 400 users (and growing daily) with positive transactions. As well as a list of bad sellers and buyers. Star Wars is big business for some collectors and I hate hearing the stories of people getting ripped off…

8. Forums or Facebook groups?

I’m pretty partial to the FB community when it comes to Star Wars. I’ve met a lot of great collectors online that I now consider friends. It’s really quite amazing how this social networking site brings us who share the same passion for these movies and toys all together. I know there is a lot of drama sometimes and I’ve been caught in the middle on occasion but there is way more good than bad in these groups.

9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble?

The older I get the more I’m looking like Obi-Wan. I think I could pull off a sweet Jedi costume.

VSWC: What do you guys think? Chris is not that old is he????

chris1obi

10. Is there one thing that collectors may not know about you?

I’ve led an exciting and happy life. I’ve enjoyed rock climbing in the Rocky Mountains and I’ve surfed in the Pacific Ocean, worked in some extreme and exciting situations. I’ve been to over 300 concerts in so many awesome venues in North America. In my early 20s I spent three months in my 71′ VW van following Pink Floyd from venue to venue. I have multiple passions that I am fortunate to dabble in. I married my college sweetheart and I have two beautiful girls.

Well thanks Chris for joining us. It has been a treat learning more about you and your passion for this great hobby of ours really shines through. Keep doing what you are doing! 













New Facebook group for Variant collectors!

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Hi guys,

Just a super quick post to give a shout up to a new Facebook group named ‘Vintage Star Wars figure variant collectors.’ My good friend Marco Van Dijk (aka ‘Mr GG’) from Rotterdam set this group up for collectors to learn and to share their knowledge of loose Star Wars vintage figure variants. While it can be argued that the proliferation of vintage Star Wars related Facebook groups is getting out of hand, I’m quite surprised that the idea behind this group hadn’t been thought of previously. Marco has set up some pretty solid rules about what can be discussed in this group so that the variant collecting experience isn’t diluted by off-topic posts. I know Marco personally too and I can tell you straight up that even though he is a very respectful guy, he does not take any crap. I’m confident that any troublemakers will be booted quick smart.

The group has only recently been created yet we’ve already signed up some of the hobby’s biggest variant brains. Not only have these guys signed up but they are actively involved in discussions and are always happy to help out others. I spend a lot of time studying Luke variants yet I’ve already learnt loads from fellow members. It really is a great group and the atmosphere is super friendly and easy-going.

Marco has also made myself, Jeff N and Michiel.W admins. I’m the only one who isn’t Dutch and who doesn’t live in Rotterdam so I’m definitely the odd one out…

So please come join us if you love variant collecting or you’d like to learn more about the subject:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Variationcollectorsworldwide/

Check out a couple of our past interviews if you are interested in learning more about some well-known variant collectors and their views on the hobby:

http://vintagestarwarscollectors.com/collector-interview-1-alexander-magraw-the-beard-behind-that-luke-bespin-limelight/

http://vintagestarwarscollectors.com/collector-interview-4-wolff-aka-wbobafett/

 

Forum thread of the month – September 2014: Fragmentation of vintage collecting chat (via Rebelscum)

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Hi guys,

This month we’re introducing another new segment – ‘Forum thread of the month. We plan to scan the three main English speaking forums, Rebelscum, The Imperial Gunnery (TIG) and Star Wars Forum UK (SWFUK) to pick out the most interesting collector related thread for the month. It will be tough as some months are busy as hell with a multitude of fascinating threads, while some months are a bit quiet. The reasoning behind this new series is to expose vintage collecting forums to collectors who love their vintage but aren’t on the forums. For example I know there are a huge amount of people on the SW vintage Facebook groups who aren’t forum members; some consider the forums “snobby”, some find them too cumbersome to navigate, while others simply aren’t aware of their existence. While there is some truth to these views, I’m adamant the advantages far outweigh any negatives and I encourage every Star Wars vintage fan to sign up.

The thread that will kick of this series is from the forum that I consider my home – Rebelscum. This thread has actually had quite a bit exposure already on Facebook and was discussed almost exhaustively on Rebelscum so I’m not expecting this post to really generate much discussion on the blog or on our Facebook page. But the fact is that this was by far the most engaging thread of last month so I’ve chosen it to keep the spirit of this series intact.

On 9th September 2014, Chris Georgoulias  (a well known collector and major contributor to theswca.com) posted his opinion that the Facebook vintage Star Wars collector groups are driving collectors away from forum and scattering and diluting vintage discussions. I found Chris’ post extremely thought provoking and while I am a huge user of Facebook, I agreed with a lot of his sentiment. There were some really fantastic responses, both in support of and in opposition to Chris’ thesis. I’m not going to summarise these but will let you guys read them yourself at this thread:

http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1113598/

And here’s Chris’ full post. Enjoy!

I hope Chris doesn’t mind me reposting his thread…

So I didn’t want to derail the Wealthy thread, but the FB comments urged me to talk about something I’ve been dealing with for awhile. As much as people love FB groups (and creating them for so many sub-genres of collecting) I grow to despise them day by day. Yes, it’s easier to post images get instant responses, but at what cost?

13k people might be on one group, but the quality of much of the commentary is worthless. Lots of one-liner replies and people giving answers who should be in learn mode, not speak mode. How many people “View Previous Comments” before they write? And often even when you expand it’s pages of commentary that often never needed to be stated. It’s noise. Unlike forums, there’s no threading and every single post piles on top of other posts. Everything is a culmination of every day’s talk and it’s absolutely not searchable. You are doomed to repeat the same topics over and over. It’s Groundhog Day.

FB makes it too easy for people to create a little world to discuss things, but it spreads things out very thinly. And it’s so easily wiped out if the creator chooses to delete it. FB wasn’t intended to be a resource for organized thoughts, it’s a way to share your day to day musings with friends. Joke of the day? Video of the day? Post some photo of your food? Sure, nobody cares a week later. But with a collecting forum you need to be able go to back and see what’s been discussed, to be able to link to discussions and, for the love of Pete, ORGANIZE it.

When the USENET discussions migrated to Web forums like this one we lost the legacy of searching. We gained threading rather than creating separate groups so that was a plus, and certainly hyperlinks are incredibly helpful. Searching this site is difficult and Philip himself wiped out years of old discussions years back that was never archived. The SWCA forums wiped out a lot of good discussion. All of that was good info wasted and wasted info is missing history and experience. The search functions are critical for that to work and without a good way to search, it still makes it a bit difficult to find what you want. But hey, at least you CAN search a forum like this. You can’t do that with a FB group.

I just fear that FB groups will drive people away from organized forums and continue to scatter and dilute the discussions. I thought it was hard enough when SWF UK and TIG started growing, but at least they’re just 2 more searchable and threaded places to keep up with. But with so many FB groups, you can’t keep up with them all and there’s no way to have great discussions that go on for pages. It’s all based around the mobile here and now. Snap a photo, use your thumbs to scribble out a comment and move on. But what is the result?

As this continues we’ll move into an era where the chatter has to be repeated time and again on a near weekly basis. We should be using those groups to drive people to places where they can learn from experienced collectors and see the benefit of creating searchable history. Being so decentralized and “day to day” doesn’t help promote a long term bond with the hobby IMO. You need to have places where the beginner can come to learn, not be thrust into a spot where they can’t figure out how to interact or take the time to learn.

I see a lot of participation in FB groups by people who could be just as active on this forum. It’s hard not to sound like the old man who doesn’t want change, but making things faster and more accessible will come at a price.

-chris

‘F.A.C.T.S’ 2014 SCI-FI and ANIME Festival this weekend in Belgium!

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Just a quick post to spread the word about F.A.C.T.S –  a great science fiction and anime festival on this weekend from 18-19 October in Ghent, Belgium. There will be loads of Star Wars related activities and guests, headlined by Carrie Fisher, so all you Star Wars fans who live in the area should get down there. Unfortunately I can’t make it and of course I’m very disappointed! Not only do I love Carrie Fisher but I’m also a big fan of Dutch actress Carice Van Houten – one of the stars of Game of Thrones and she also seems to pop up in every second Dutch film…

Find out more about F.A.C.T.S at:

http://www.facts.be/

Ghent is also a fabulous place to visit. I’ve been there a couple of times and I always recommend it to my international visitors.

Have fun!

Guest Collector: Gary Borbidge and his huge Kenner Prototype find!

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Hi guys,

I’m very happy to have Gary Borbidge (aka ‘Greedodidntshoot’ on Rebelscum) appear on the blog to present his massive Kenner find from early 2014. Gary did actually outline this haul previously on Rebelscum but he was generous enough to update it exclusively for the Vintage Star Wars Collectors blog. A lot of our readers are not on Rebelscum so I’m sure they have not yet had the chance to read the details of Gary’s amazing score from a former Kenner employee.

I have to admit I was feeling a little bit emotional after reading Gary’s story. What a great story! This to me is what collecting is all about. Gary was obviously excited about the great pieces he had picked up but you can also feel how honoured he was to have had the chance to hang out with someone so intrinsically linked to the history of Star Wars toys. Lovely touch too that Gary’s father was a part of this epic journey.

Well enough from me, I’ll let Gary take it from here.

2014 Kenner Find by Gary Borbridge

Like most collectors, I’ve spent countless hours scrolling through vintage Star Wars auctions on eBay. From time to time you score a nice piece at a good price, or stumble upon an auction for something special that seems to go unnoticed by others. This is my story of an eBay originated buy that ultimately lead to the highlight of my collecting career. Some of you may have read my thread on RebelScum explaining this story, but if not – enjoy.

I have been collecting vintage Star Wars on and off since the late 90s and mainly supported my collecting (habit) by buying and selling and keeping a few pieces in-between to build my collection. One day in January of 2014 I was checking out some newly listed auctions on eBay and came across a few auctions for some carded figures that were in average shape.  The seller was actively listing the items, so I sent a message to the seller inquiring what other items he/she was going to have for sale. I received a response that they had a few more carded figures, some loose figures and some 12” figures. I asked if the seller could send me some pictures of the items they had not listed yet and received a response containing a few pictures. Among the items was a vinyl Star wars case that contained an assortment of loose figures. Among the figures were four Blue Snaggletooths…. What??? I thought to myself.  Two of the snags looked to be in excellent condition and the other two looked a bit rough. So I expressed interest and ultimately worked out a deal to buy the case of figures.

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Fast forward a few days to the day when the package arrived in the mail. As I’m going over the figures, I notice that six of them: two Blue Snags, two Walrusmen, a Greedo and a Hammerhead didn’t have any copyright stamps. I had no idea at the time, as I had never owned any pre-production pieces and my knowledge in that area of collecting was basically zero, but what they turned out to be were painted first shots. This was confirmed by some very knowledgeable and respected collectors on Rebelscum.

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Needless to say, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe it, this stuff just doesn’t happen! Then it hit me, wait….where did the guy get these? These were basically prototypes. You didn’t go out to the Kiddie City and buy these back in the day, they had to come from Kenner, from in-house Kenner. So I contacted the seller again and discovered that when he was a kid, his uncle had come to the house one Christmas with a box full of Star Wars toys. I then found out to my amazement that his uncle used to work for Kenner. The communication continued with the seller and he ultimately told me his uncle’s name and some limited information about what he was currently doing in life. Chris Georgoulias  (a well known collector and major contributor to theswca.com) confirmed the uncle to be a former Kenner worker. Chris also provided me with some early guidance from his years of experience in tracking down and approaching former Kenner employees, which was a huge help in getting me started on the next phase of this story.

With his uncle’s name and some limited info, I hit the internet and started researching. Without much trouble I located an e-mail address and telephone number for the uncle and emailed him explaining my contact with his nephew and expressing interest in his time days at Kenner. Send………The email was away….

I didn’t really know what to expect. For the most part, I honestly didn’t think I would even get a response. I checked my emails about twenty-five times hoping for a reply. Days went by and nothing. Then one afternoon, there it was – a reply. It was brief, stating that he was sorry that he had not replied sooner. His wife has been hospitalised but he was happy to tell me about Kenner and he promised to write more soon. I thanked him for taking the time to answer me and said I was looking forward to talking with him.

The following day I checked my emails and there was a whole string of emails from him containing several attachments. Pictures. I clicked on the photo attachments and they were all of vintage star wars toys that he explained he had “saved.” MOCs, ESB 3-Packs, figure cases, diecast vehicles, baggies, electronic games, loose figures…. The closer I looked, the more excited I became. I could tell there were numerous other pre-production pieces and some very cool production pieces in the lot. I couldn’t believe it!

We continued to correspond over the next few weeks, chatting about all kinds of things, including his time at “Kenners” (as he called it). During the weeks that we talked back and forth, he was mostly writing me from his wife’s hospital bedside. The recipient of a pair of new lungs, she was fighting through complication after complication. As our communications continued, he told me how much he enjoyed having someone to talk with, someone to take his mind off of the pain that his wife was going through. It felt good to be able to do that for him and I really enjoyed learning about his time working at “Kenners”. He was just out of college in 1978 and took a job with Kenner in their Product Integrity Labs; which was responsible for testing toy safety and reliability. He explained his job to me as “playing with toys to make sure there were no safety issues and to determine how reliable they would be under varying conditions.” He worked at Kenner until mid-1980 when he left to take another job.

I shared all of the toy pictures and play – by – play with my buddy, Steve Dwyer (‘the_dark_artist’ on Rebelscum), and we gushed over them for weeks. Steve’s encouragement and knowledge with identifying several of the pieces in the lot was invaluable to me and having someone to share the experience with as it was happening was really cool. At times he seemed more excited than I was!

Fast forward several weeks and his wife’s recovery was going well and she had progressed enough to come home. We had discussed me purchasing his toys on and off over the weeks that we had been talking and shortly after arriving home with his wife, we came to a deal. The next thing I knew, I was making arrangements to drive out to Ohio. When I told my dad that I was going to be driving out to buy a bunch of Star Wars toys, he offered to be my co-pilot and make the trip with me (that is after he told me I was nuts).  Having my dad with me was awesome. With my job, wife, kids and the thousand other obligations in life, I rarely get to spend one on one time with him. It was so fitting to have him along with me as he was the person that introduced me to Star Wars a long time ago in a childhood far far away… The long ride from Philadelphia to rural northern Ohio gave us a lot of time to spend together.

So on Sunday March 16, 2014 Dad and I were on our way. When we finally arrived at our destination, we were greeted at the door by a tiny woman with a brand new set of lungs. A very sweet woman who welcomed us in and asked how we liked our steak cooked. We were then directed out to a horse barn where we met the man that I had been corresponding with for weeks. We shook hands, I met the horses and we returned to the house for a delicious home cooked steak dinner, followed by a spread of Kenner goodness covering the dining room table.

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Some of the highlights of the purchase include 10 figural first shots, two die cast first shots, several carded and loose marked product integrity test samples, several engineering pilots (EPs), 40 bagged figures, three series one ESB 3-packs and 28 carded figures.

This photo is of the 10 first shots in the lot:

first shots

The items in the second picture are marked test pieces (EPs):

test samples

The final photos are of Boba Fett, a transition piece from the rocket firing mechanism to the standard Fett. I think the Fett is one of the coolest pieces in the whole find. It represents the transition of one of the most iconic pieces in the vintage Star Wars toy.

boba fett fett bCK

We spent the rest of the evening talking about “Kenners” over pints of Guinness and games of pool in his basement. It was like hanging out with an old friend. Truly Amazing!

This is a picture of my new friend and I and the toys that I purchased from him. The entire experience was unreal, a once in a collecting-lifetime thing.

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