Star Wars stories

I was chatting with my mate today (we're both lorry drivers and talk a lot during the day) and got onto the subject of Star Wars and the toys and what not, he knows I collect. He's a bit older than me, think he said he was 6 or 7 when the first film and toys came out. I don't remember A New Hope coming out or Star Wars packaging, I was Empire and Jedi era.

He told me a great story about a Han Solo and his Star Wars toys. He said his Dad took him to see Star Wars at the Odeon in Southend-on-Sea when it came out and after he took him to a toy shop round the corner and bought him a 12 back Luke, for what he thinks was 99p! Shortly after he said he got a Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and then at some point later his Mum took him to see his grandparents in Peterborough and bought him a Vader and Stormtrooper in a big toy shop that he said had literally hundreds of figures and was half full of Star Wars. He said they had every figure available (presumably the first 20, cos he said there were Greedos and Luke X-Wings) except Han Solo. He said Han Solo was a bastard to find, everywhere sold out and he couldn't get one. Anyway, sometime after this (1979 he thinks) he was back home in Essex and was in his local newsagent/niknak shop and saw a box of reduced toys and stuff and at the back was a Han Solo for 22p!! He gave it to the shopkeeper and asked him to keep it behind the counter, legged it home, got 22p out his moneybox, ran back up there and bought it. I told him that could go for upwards of 1500 quid now and he couldn't believe it. Made me smile to think of him running up the road with his 22p. He said he was shitting it the bloke might sell it. I remember that thread about the most expensive price sticker on a Moc. I wonder if anyone ever got a figure for less than 22p? A ****ing Palitoy 12/20 back too.

Ha! Brilliant story. 8)

Good on him for rumaging! Gives us all hope for finding a gem one day

I love the childhood perseverance, Rob. May I join in? This story is borrowed from Bobby on another ( non Star Wars ) forum I post on.

In 1983 Bobby was trying to complete his Panini ROTJ album but wasn't having much luck. Then his playground was rife with a story about a newsagent in another town who was - get this for a shocker - opening the packets and selling the stickers individually at a slightly inflated price! Tantalized by these dodgy dealings, Bobby became obsessed about this for days and eventually managed to persuade his mum to drive them to this neighbouring town at the weekend, cash at the ready.

They got there. They found the newsagent in question which was run a friendly old lady.... who had no idea what they were talking about. Bobby's heart sank but learned a lesson to take people's claims with a pinch of salt.

Now, as sad a story as this is it took me straight back to a time when NOTHING was more important than Return Of The Jedi stickers.

It also reminded me of a mum who'd go to slightly daft lengths to satisfy her kid's half-baked notions. We never had a car, but would get on multiple buses to get to a shop on the other side of the city just in case they had a Hammerhead. Which they never did.

Great stories fellas I don't remember what my cheapest figure was but I have an Ugnaught with a 20p price sticker which came from the same source as a Lobot I had with an identical sticker. Palitoy 41 backs.

chipsteak said:

Now, as sad a story as this is it took me straight back to a time when NOTHING was more important than Return Of The Jedi stickers.

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Nice stories Chipsteak! I remember that time, the ROTJ sticker craze. I was mad for it. In many ways that album and stickers hold more nostalgia than anything else. Prob because it was an activity, you had a goal and were invested in it. I have a used album but would like to find a mint empty one and some unused stickers.

20p Simon! Nuts. Lets see a photo

Robstyley said:

chipsteak said:

Now, as sad a story as this is it took me straight back to a time when NOTHING was more important than Return Of The Jedi stickers.

Click to expand...

Nice stories Chipsteak! I remember that time, the ROTJ sticker craze. I was mad for it. In many ways that album and stickers hold more nostalgia than anything else. Prob because it was an activity, you had a goal and were invested in it. I have a used album but would like to find a mint empty one and some unused stickers.

20p Simon! Nuts. Lets see a photo

Click to expand...

Head down to FF and buy it Its not 20p anymore though! I'll see if I can get a photo up later.

That Han Solo story is great- it shows the essence of collecting, I think. We may all be older, and prices are higher, but that feeling of finding the thing you are looking for, at a good price, is amazing.
And I loved collecting ROTJ stickers too... No idea what happened to my album, but I loved it.