Star Wars figure found in loft sells for £2,000 at auction

One of the rarest Star Wars toys in existence has sold for more than £2,000 after it lay in a dusty attic for 40 years. The Yak Face figure, which still had the original £1.59 price label on the box, was one of 21 toys discovered along with Luke Skywalker and R2-D2.

A woman discovered the toys while cleaning out her late husband’s belongings before she moved home.

They mint-condition toys, which were all unopened, were found in her home in Wellingborough, Northants.

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The “holy grail” figurine in the collection was Yak Face, from the 1983 movie Return of the Jedi.

The camel-faced creature was amember of Jabba the Hutt's entourage and is one of the famous ‘Last 17’ - the rarest figures to collect.

The toy was never officially sold in the US, making it highly sought after, and is expected to sell for at least £1,000.

It eventually fetched more than twice its estimated value when it sold for £2,100 at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbys.

The iconic figure, along with 14 other toys, sold for a combined total of £5,460.

Hansons toy expertDavid Wilson-Turner said: “The figures camefrom the vendor’s husband’s collection.

“He didn’t collect as such, just toys from his childhood that didn’t get played with much. She was delighted with the result.”

All of the figures were made in Palitoy in Coalville, Leics., and had been left untouched for 40 years.

Mr Wilson-Turner added: “Palitoy secured the rights to produce Star Wars toys in the 1970s via its US sister company, Kenner.

“At first Palitoy was reluctant to even launch a Star Wars range because no one had heard of the film.

“But, while America went on to produce the franchise’s merchandise in the millions, Palitoy’s output was more modest, making it all the more appealing to collectors both sides of the Atlantic.”

Yak Face – Saelt-Marae, an informant for Jabba the Hutt – is the rarest figure as it was never made available in the US.

The figure of R2-D2, with pop-up lightsabre, also beat its pre-sale guide price of £300-£400 by rising to £520.

A Warok, expected to sell for £150-£200, sold for £340.