Rare Star Wars Jawa figure fetches £10k at auction

The Jawa figure had a limited edition vinyl cape which was later replaced with cloth

A rare Star Wars toy bought at a Lancashire market stall in 1980 has sold for more than £10,000 at auction.

Its original owner paid "pocket money prices" for the Jawa figure in Bacup when he was a boy.

The toy, which originally sold for about £1, came with a limited edition vinyl cape and had never been opened.

It was expected to fetch between £5,000 and £6,000 at the Vectis auction in Thornaby-on-Tees but went to an international buyer for £10,200.

In a statement, the anonymous vendor said the market stallholder advised him it was rare when he bought it.

'Hard to locate'

He said: "As a kid and Star Wars fanatic I have memories of my mum taking me down to the local market every Saturday to buy me the latest figure.

"I would ask for everything, obviously having no understanding of money, but I was happy with whatever she could afford.

"I had a friend who, like me, was obsessed with Star Wars and we would share toys and play together and I think it was him that told me about the Jawa and how a plastic cape [version] was coming out.

"It took the stallholder weeks to find it and I remember him telling me how hard it was to locate and how rare it was and for that reason I never opened it."

Manufacturers only made a small number of vinyl-caped Jawa figures before switching it to cloth like the characters in the films.

Valuer Kathy Taylor said: "Every time we have a Star Wars sale we have a worldwide following who come to see what we have.