Rare Star Wars Yak Face toy makes nearly £2,000 at auction

The figure was attractive to American collectors because it never went on sale in the US

A Star Wars figure that cost just £1.59 in the 1980s has sold at auction for £1,900.

The vintage Yak Face toy was snapped up by a collector from among hundreds of science fiction-themed items going under the hammer.

The figure, made by Leicestershire-based manufacturer Palitoy, beat its guide price of between £1,000 and £1,500.

The Yak Face character appeared briefly in Return of the Jedi.

He was a member of Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire and his near mint-condition figure fetched more than many other better-known characters from the blockbuster movies.

Specialist toy auctioneer Vectis ran the online auction.

Nick Dykes, a consultant for the firm and Star Wars specialist, said: "A lot of Star Wars fans won't know anything about Yak Face.

"The character must have had only a few seconds on screen - blink and you'd miss him.

"He didn't say anything or do anything and moved the plot on not one bit but this toy is rare."

'Ridiculous' total

Mr Dykes added: "It's an end-of-the-line product that the company pushed out in a rush just to make as much money as it could.

"It was only ever packaged and released in Canada, Australia and Europe.

"It is now rare and there will be Americans who need it to complete their collection.

"£1,900 is ridiculous when you think about it."

A Palitoy figure of the much better-known bounty hunter Boba Fett sold for £1,300 at the auction.

Mr Dykes added: "Boba's got a real cult following after the series about him on Disney Plus so there's a lot of interest in anything to do with him."

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