Trove sat quietly in Chicago-area home for decades, its owner unaware of their value before contacting Morphy Auctions, where toys will be auctioned on Feb. 1

DENVER, PENNSYLVANIA, USA, January 10, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Just when Star Wars collectors thought they had seen it all, along came The Morphy Find. That’s the name that has been given to a recently unveiled trove of rare, high-condition Star Wars toys that sat undisturbed in original Kenner shipping cartons, largely forgotten, since the 1970s/’80s.

The owner, a collector of antique coin-op machines, became aware of their potentially huge value at a trade show while chatting with an old friend, Morphy Auctions’ CEO Tom Tolworthy.

He explained to Tolworthy that he had bought more than 400 carded action figures when the first Star Wars movies came out. He gave some of the figures to his children for play, but the great majority were stored away in a closet and left to slumber.

During their discussion, Tolworthy asked his friend if he could send images of some of the toys to Morphy’s. When the photos were shared with Tommy Sage Jr, head of Morphy’s toy division, it became immediately clear that the company had landed perhaps the most important Star Wars consignment ever. Sage excitedly texted Morphy Auctions’ president, Dan Morphy, with the message, “Go get the stuff!”

Sage said that on the day the consignment arrived at the gallery, he was expecting two or three cartons to arrive. Instead, there were approximately a dozen. “Each carton left me stunned,” he said. “For example, I never knew Kenner had shipped cases exclusively containing all eight Yodas, but there was a carton containing 24 of them – three of each type of Yoda.”

Another surprise was the carton of 24 figures that included eight Boba Fetts, eight Jawas, and eight Darth Vaders. “Usually, it’s the other way around and there are eight characters represented in a carton, three of each character,” Sage explained. The best pieces are the double-telescoping Luke Skywalker figures, which were only available in Kenner’s Early Bird packs.”

Dan Morphy recalled, “When I first heard of the collection, I really didn’t believe it could be what it is, but when I went to pick it up and saw the contents, I immediately knew it was something extraordinary..”

Star Wars expert Chuck Lang was tapped to catalog the collection for Morphy's auction catalog. He was astounded by what he saw: all carded figures, mostly spanning the lines Kenner produced from 1977 through 1985 for the films Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Power of the Force. “They’re original, never removed from the cards, and many are in mint condition. They’re the real deal, and very impressive,” Lang said.

“All of the first 21 figures are there, on Star Wars cards – Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R5-D4, Boba Fett, and many others,” Lang said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. To find so many figures of this quality all at once, untouched and in a non-collector’s hands, is just amazing.”

The Morphy Find will be auctioned on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at Morphy’s gallery in Denver, Pennsylvania. All remote forms of bidding will be available, including absentee, phone and live via the Internet through Morphy Live. For additional information on any piece in the sale or to purchase a hardbound auction catalog, call 877-968-8880, email info@morphyauctions.com. View the catalog and sign up to bid live online at www.morphyauctions.com.

Dan Morphy
Morphy Auctions
+1 877-968-8880
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