Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker’s Latest Showdown Ended Just Like Their Iconic Empire Strikes Back Duel
It is over four decades since Star Wars delivered one of cinema’s biggest twists as Darth Vader revealed his true identity to Luke Skywalker after their duel on Cloud City. The epic lightsaber battle that ended with Luke losing a hand and being ultimately bested by his father became one of the most iconic pop culture moments in history. That kind of recognition is why Star Wars memorabilia is one of the biggest sellers at dozens of auctions every year. In a recent Heritage Auctions sale it was no different as classic Vader and Luke figures went up against each other, with the former once again coming out the dominant victor. This face-off came about thanks to the sale of a number of 1978 Kenner figures with 12-Back C packaging, all of which are amongst some of the most sought after to Star Wars collectors.
While these figures predate Vader’s climactic duel with his estranged son at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, it is hard not to see this a rematch on different turf that could have seen Luke finally coming out on top. Instead, the graded AFA 80 Darth Vader did not just beat the AFA 75 Luke figure but was the highest-priced item sold in the entire auction. With a winning bid of $10,000, this Vader sold for more than double the $4,625 Luke fetched. Vintage toys have always been a huge crowd-puller and adding a few Kenner Star Wars figures is a great way to ensure a few big bidders come out to try and add them to their collections. In this auction, the figures are part of the “Original 12,” the first runs released by Kenner in the wake of Star Wars mania. The 12-Back C packaging was the third and final variant of the packaging on Kenner’s earliest figures. Darth Vader comes with his vinyl cape and telescoping lightsaber, while Luke has his classic farm boy outfit that he wore when being introduced to cinema audiences in 1977.
Darth Vader Was Almost Beaten by Another Iconic Star Wars Character
Anyone who has followed this kind of auction before, there was little doubt that Vader was going to be the one item that attracted a lot of attention. Barring fabled Boba Fett figures, Darth Vader is usually the grail of Star Wars toy auctions and that is hardly surprising given his position as one of the greatest movie villains of all time. What is more surprising is that Vader did almost find himself beaten in this auction by none other this daughter. A Princess Leia figure with the same AFA 75 grading as Luke soared to $9,375 and with a slightly higher grade could have potentially received the push it needed to breach $10,000. Regardless, the Skywalker family proved to be the center of the Star Wars universe against other figures like Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R2-D2 that could not break $4,000 despite some high gradings.
Star Wars has long been one of the most profitable franchises in cinema history. Even with some stumbles, such as the recent release of The Mandalorian & Grogu which did not ignite the box office as expected earlier this year, the money brought in from merchandising continues to be every bit as profitable as the movies and TV shows themselves. Vintage Star Wars items are therefore among the most valuable out there. Stacked against some other recent sales like the £1.3 million Boba Fett prototype figure, This recent auction may seem like small fry, but who knows what other treasures are still waiting out there to be passed on to new owners in the future.
