An Antiques Roadshow visitor was left gobsmacked by the eye-watering valuation of his "fantastically rare" Star Wars collectables during the programme. The BBC show pitched up at Swanage Pier Seafront, where expert Mark Hill was delighted to appraise a perspex star etched with the famous "May The Force Be With You".
"It's a world famous phrase, it's known across the globe by literally billions of people, 'May the force be with you'. And it's, of course, totally connected to Star Wars," Hill gushed. "And here we have a perspex star, two Christmas cards and an invitation to a special screening for the Empire Strikes Back in May 1980. Were you involved in the film?"
The owner, clearly surprised by the attention, replied: "No. Not at all but my mother was indirectly involved with one of the producers", before chuckling: "That sounds not good, does it?" reports the Express.
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Hill dug deeper into the connection, enquiring if they were close friends, to which the guest elaborated: "No she was complimentary therapist, she treated him for quite sometime," and disclosed that the producer was none other than the legendary Gary Kurtz.
Hill observed: "Well he was obviously very grateful to her, because he clearly invited her to the special screening for crew members. That was quite an honour in 1980 to be invited to see the Empire Strikes Back before anyone else has seen it.
"And this star was given out to crew and cast, numerous were made and it was given out to crew and cast as a keepsake." The expert's analysis of the Star Wars themed Christmas cards revealed a fascinating connection.
"Obviously it was an ongoing relationship over time, because this screening was in May, this would have been sent out in December and actually the Christmas cards are interesting to me."
He pointed out a notable detail: "You have a little signature in the bottom there, 'RMQ', which is Ralph McQuarrie." Highlighting McQuarrie's significance, he added, "Ralph McQuarrie is so critical to the entire visual impact of the Star Wars saga, he devised many of the characters."
On one card, he observed, "Here we have C3PO and R2D2 going Christmas shopping [on the card], he designed them, he designed Darth Vader." However, Hill did not overlook the items' flaws, noting, "Not in the best condition. And I notice there are a few chips on the star there,".
Despite the wear and tear, Hill's valuation was impressive: "Bearing in mind that it's really props and toys that really drive the market forward, bearing the little bits of damage here, what are we going to say? £1,500? Maybe even £2,000."
The owner's reaction was one of sheer astonishment: "Really? Really? That's astonishing." Hill elaborated on the collector's fervour, "Collectors really want to own as much as they can and anything connected to the film directly and the cast and the crew, it's just like gold dust".
Overwhelmed by the valuation, the guest exclaimed: "Well that's extraordinary. I can't believe that. I'm amazed at how much it's worth. I've been tripping over it for years and never thought it would be worth that sort of money really."
Injecting a bit of wit into the conversation, Hill added: "What a fantastically rare item. Imagine it on your desk. The force is with me and it was certainly with him."
