1srelluc
Diamond Member
Sort of boring but the scope of the collection is amazing.
Jeff Jacob remembers getting his first glimpses of a galaxy far, far away at Denverās Cooper Cinerama, where his family took him to see the first Star Wars film in 1977.
From a young age, Jacob was hooked. He stockpiled action figures and bought the first piece of what would become his official collection when he was just 19 years old.
āItās like a lifetime of treasure hunting,ā he said. āYouāre nonstop on a hunt for something youāre looking for. There have been pieces Iāve looked for 15 years, and you never know when youāre going to finally find something.ā
Now pushing 50, the homebuilder is preparing to auction off his trove of Star Wars memorabilia, which includes thousands of rare and meticulously preserved relics of the original sci-fi trilogy.
Gems of Jacobās collection include packaged action figures of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader produced by Kenner that feature a rare ādouble-telescopingā lightsaber design. The design was changed shortly after the figuresā release in 1977, and the toys can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars today.
Other pieces feature the scrapped original title of the third Star Wars movie ā āRevenge of the Jedi,ā which was changed to āReturn of the Jediā before the filmās release in 1983. The collection also includes rare figures produced by Mexican toymaker Lili Ledy and British company Palitoy.
The sale facilitated by Pennsylvania-based Hakeās Auctions will happen in stages, with the first round of the auction beginning Jan. 6.
ā(Jacobās) lifetime assemblage of action figures and related toys is indisputably one of the best in the world,ā the auction house wrote in a booklet promoting the sale.
āHe determinedly and patiently hunted for toys in the best condition possible, cultivating a collection that features mostly high-grade pieces with some recognized as the highest-graded examples.ā
As part of the process of having the toysā quality formally graded by the Action Figure Authority, all of the items have been sealed in acrylic. Jacob said the majority were given a ānear-mintā grade of at least 80 out of 100 by the AFA. He estimates the collection is worth between $5 million and $7 million in total.
Arranged on custom-built shelves, the collection once covered about 3,800 square feet of the basement of Jacobās Littleton home. It also includes vintage G.I. Joes, Transformers and other toys, though Jacob estimates about 80% of the items depict characters from the Star Wars films.
Jacob, who is in the process of moving, said he decided to sell the collection in part because he didnāt want to build another custom space for the figures. He said his wife didnāt believe him at first when he first mentioned his plans to sell the collection.
āShe started crying, but I was like, āItās all right. Iām good with this,āā he said. āItās been a part of our lives in every single house. Itās been a huge part of our history.ā
He also described a conversation with the daughter of a friend and fellow collector who told Jacob she was unsure what her family would ultimately do with the manās assortment of priceless Civil War-era firearms.
āI donāt want to pass away and not have the chance to see my collection go back out to the world,ā Jacob said.
Items sold at auction will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Jacob as well as a holographic sticker indicating their origin in his collection.
The first round of the auction will remain open until Jan. 22, and Jacob said the company plans to open subsequent rounds every few months, with six or seven rounds planned in total.
He also described a conversation with the daughter of a friend and fellow collector who told Jacob she was unsure what her family would ultimately do with the manās assortment of priceless Civil War-era firearms.
LOL.....I think they have some work to do on the age math.
Pushing 50 but saw it in 77.....So he was 1-3? Then waited 16+ years to start collecting?
Jeff Jacob remembers getting his first glimpses of a galaxy far, far away at Denverās Cooper Cinerama, where his family took him to see the first Star Wars film in 1977.
From a young age, Jacob was hooked. He stockpiled action figures and bought the first piece of what would become his official collection when he was just 19 years old.
āItās like a lifetime of treasure hunting,ā he said. āYouāre nonstop on a hunt for something youāre looking for. There have been pieces Iāve looked for 15 years, and you never know when youāre going to finally find something.ā
Now pushing 50, the homebuilder is preparing to auction off his trove of Star Wars memorabilia, which includes thousands of rare and meticulously preserved relics of the original sci-fi trilogy.
Gems of Jacobās collection include packaged action figures of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader produced by Kenner that feature a rare ādouble-telescopingā lightsaber design. The design was changed shortly after the figuresā release in 1977, and the toys can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars today.
Other pieces feature the scrapped original title of the third Star Wars movie ā āRevenge of the Jedi,ā which was changed to āReturn of the Jediā before the filmās release in 1983. The collection also includes rare figures produced by Mexican toymaker Lili Ledy and British company Palitoy.
The sale facilitated by Pennsylvania-based Hakeās Auctions will happen in stages, with the first round of the auction beginning Jan. 6.
ā(Jacobās) lifetime assemblage of action figures and related toys is indisputably one of the best in the world,ā the auction house wrote in a booklet promoting the sale.
āHe determinedly and patiently hunted for toys in the best condition possible, cultivating a collection that features mostly high-grade pieces with some recognized as the highest-graded examples.ā
As part of the process of having the toysā quality formally graded by the Action Figure Authority, all of the items have been sealed in acrylic. Jacob said the majority were given a ānear-mintā grade of at least 80 out of 100 by the AFA. He estimates the collection is worth between $5 million and $7 million in total.
Arranged on custom-built shelves, the collection once covered about 3,800 square feet of the basement of Jacobās Littleton home. It also includes vintage G.I. Joes, Transformers and other toys, though Jacob estimates about 80% of the items depict characters from the Star Wars films.
Jacob, who is in the process of moving, said he decided to sell the collection in part because he didnāt want to build another custom space for the figures. He said his wife didnāt believe him at first when he first mentioned his plans to sell the collection.
āShe started crying, but I was like, āItās all right. Iām good with this,āā he said. āItās been a part of our lives in every single house. Itās been a huge part of our history.ā
He also described a conversation with the daughter of a friend and fellow collector who told Jacob she was unsure what her family would ultimately do with the manās assortment of priceless Civil War-era firearms.
āI donāt want to pass away and not have the chance to see my collection go back out to the world,ā Jacob said.
Items sold at auction will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Jacob as well as a holographic sticker indicating their origin in his collection.
The first round of the auction will remain open until Jan. 22, and Jacob said the company plans to open subsequent rounds every few months, with six or seven rounds planned in total.
He also described a conversation with the daughter of a friend and fellow collector who told Jacob she was unsure what her family would ultimately do with the manās assortment of priceless Civil War-era firearms.
LOL.....I think they have some work to do on the age math.
Pushing 50 but saw it in 77.....So he was 1-3? Then waited 16+ years to start collecting?
