Star Wars memorabilia auction in Durham sees sales rocket to £145,000

An eagerly-awaited auction of Star Wars movie memorabilia in the North East has proved a soaring success.

Vectis Auctions in County Durham says this week's Star Wars Extravaganza sale has been "fantastic" and the lots raised a whopping £145,000, which is almost double their lower-point estimate of £75,000. Among the big hits of the day was a Palitoy The Empire Strikes Back small vintage figure of Luke Skywalker, still in its original card-back wrap, which sold for £6,125 alone.

Another lot, a Kenner Star Wars vintage figure of The Power of the Force Gamorrean Guard, also measuring less than four inches high, was bought for £2,817 - far more than its £1,000-£1,500 estimate. The auction house had expected huge interest in Thursday's sale, which was its first to be assembled from various Star Wars fans' collections.

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There were more than 670 lots in total including carded, loose and graded figures; playsets; vehicles and creatures as well as limited-edition lightsabres, including replicas signed by Mark Hamill and Samuel L Jackson; busts, figures, dioramas and statues plus collectables such as trading cards; posters; graphic novels; books; magazines and comics.

The memorabilia was expected to raise £75,000-£100,000 in total but, with fans invited to make bids online, the sales took off. A Vectis spokeswoman said on Friday: "It was a fantastic auction yesterday with lots of bidding on the day.

"The sale achieved a total of £145,000." Also among the day's stand-out lots were Kenner Star Wars vintage Jawa vinyl cape figure, which shot beyond its upper £1,200-£1,500 estimate, to go for £2,450 and a Palitoy Star Wars vintage Return of the Jedi Yak Face figure, with a £1,500-£2,000 estimate, which sold for £2,572.

The Master Replicas Star Wars Luke Skywalker signature-edition lightsaber signed by Mark Hamill, which came with a plaque and certificate, had an estimate of £800-£1,000 but finally went under the hammer at £1,470. For information about more sales coming up at Vectis Auctions see its website here.