Star Wars action figure which is one of just three known to exist sells for huge sum

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A STAR Wars action figure which is one of just three known to exist has sold for £24,500.

The 3.75in plastic toy of Obi Wan Kenobi was made by Kenner in 1978.

Rare Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars action figure with yellow lightsaber.
Star Wars action figure which is one of just three known to exist has sold for £24,500
Rare Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure in a display case.
The 3.75in plastic toy of Obi Wan Kenobi was made by Kenner in 1978

It has a double telescoping lightsaber, a two-piece weapon that emerged from the Jedi Knight’s right arm socket.

The 2.5in yellow lightsaber, not the customary blue, was later replaced with a shorter version.

The figure was bought by an online bidder at Vectis Auctions in Stockton, Teesside.

Specialist Peter Davis said: “This is a pre-production engineering pilot, which gives it an extreme level of rarity as we know of only three of them in existence.

“They should have a blue lightsaber but because they were messing around to see if the production process would work they rustled up a yellow lightsaber.

“The original figures came with a double telescoping lightsaber but they quickly realised this was a faff so they went with one piece of plastic.

“The figure first belonged to a Kenner employee who sold it when they became valuable and a Scottish reindeer farmer who also happened to be a collector bought it.

“After much persuasion, they sold it to the vendor, a collector from southern England, about three years ago.”

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Anthony Daniels, Alec Guinness, and Mark Hamill in Star Wars: A New Hope.
Alec Guinness as Obi Wan, centre, with Anthony Daniels, left and Mark Hamill, right, in 1977’s Star Wars
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