The rocket-firing Boba Fett prototype toy has fallen to Earth (or, more accurately, his home planet of Kamino).
When a rare variant of the coveted "Star Wars" toy hit the auction block at Heritage Auctions on Wednesday, expectations were sky-high.
After all, for the most part, we've seen this "holy grail" of toys post a series of shocking records, first in May for $525,000 and then months later for $1.34 million at Goldin, the current world record for any toy at public auction.
The results at Heritage failed to follow suit this week, however.
The unique color combination and hand-painted example sold for $275,000, which would have been a record for the toy prior to this year. Still, considering the toy was valued at twice the price of the $525,000 example when both were owned by a single owner, it’s a shocking decline for the “grail” toy.
Despite the limited supply of the figures (around 100), widely considered to be a key price driver, as well as the special variant of the figure sold at Heritage, the sale places a damper on what otherwise appeared to be poised for a banner year for the toy market.
In context, the price is still staggering (and a premium over less rare variants), but within the niche market, which relies heavily upon highly specific details and insider knowledge, it might signal bloated supply in the previously scarce segment.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.