By Ryan McIntyre· September 18, 2025
A Star Wars memorabilia collection valued at an estimated $7 million is making history as it heads to auction. The trove, amassed over 32 years by collector Jeff Jacob, has been described by Hake’s Auctions as “the most significant Star Wars collection ever to come to auction.” Now, piece by piece, Jacob’s lifelong passion is being passed on to fellow fans, offering a rare glimpse into the dedication and strategy behind building an epic collection.
Quotes taken from the Comics & Crypto interview and used with permission. Watch the FULL interview here.
Jeff Jacob’s love of Star Wars collectibles stretches back to 1977. “I grew up with it as a kid,” he said, recalling seeing The Empire Strikes Back in theaters and playing with the original Kenner action figures. Like many fans of his generation, Jacob’s early memories involved lightsabers, action figures, and playsets from a galaxy far, far away. But few could imagine that decades later, those childhood toys would form the seed of a record-breaking collection.
Jacob’s collecting journey reignited in the mid-1990s when Star Wars saw a resurgence. In 1994, he walked into a toy store on a whim and spotted newly released Star Wars action figures on the shelves. “It just started again,” Jacob laughed. “I went in there and saw the new toys. I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’m just going to get these.’” That spark quickly grew into a flame. Within a few years, he began hunting down the vintage collectibles he remembered from childhood.
A turning point came in 1997, when Jacob had the opportunity to purchase a huge lot of 130 sealed vintage Star Wars figures from an original owner. Scraping together $4,000, a small fortune at the time for the young collector, he closed the deal that would kickstart his serious vintage collection.
“That was the very first step in me jumping into vintage packaged [collectibles],” Jacob said. From then on, he made it his mission to acquire one of every Star Wars figure on its original card back from 1977 through 1985. By the early 2000s, Jacob had assembled around 265 unique carded figures, one of every character and packaging variation, proudly displayed in his custom-built Star Wars collection room.
Over the next three decades, Jacob’s Star Wars collection grew to include over 5,000 items, ranging from the earliest Kenner action figures to international variants and rare prototypes. A mix of passion, strategy, and a lot of hustle help him strategise how to achieve this feat.
Unlike many collectors who buy items one-by-one, Jacob focused on finding entire collections and bulk lots, then selling off duplicates or lesser-condition pieces to fund his grails. It was a strategy born of necessity that evolved into a personal philosophy.
“I don’t really have any money into my collection,” Jacob revealed. “What I have is three hours a day of my life for 32 years – hunting, learning, or reselling the extras.”
Instead of going into debt, Jacob would reinvest every dollar he made from selling toys back into new acquisitions. This constant flipping allowed him to upgrade items and essentially build a world-class Star Wars collection at net-zero cost. More importantly, it also meant his wife and family were on board.
They saw the hobby paying for itself, easing the usual tensions that big-spending hobbies can cause. “You can’t hoard. You need to sell off any extras to get the things you want,” Jacob advised, underscoring a lesson he’s taught to many fellow collectors.
Crucially, Jacob was extremely condition-conscious. He earned a reputation for tracking down mint-condition examples of even the most common figures, and he would pass on buying a “grail” if it was too beat-up.
“Visually, I always wanted that front display to be the best it could be,”
he explained. In fact, Jacob would often buy a collection, send the best pieces for professional grading, keep the highest-grade example for himself, and sell the rest. Over time, this led to him owning some of the rarest and highest-graded Star Wars figures known in the hobby.
“There’s not one piece in my collection that’s a duplicate,”
he noted. Each figure, vehicle, and playset is unique, contributing to a comprehensive archive rather than a stockpile of spares.
With such a vast assemblage, Jacob’s Star Wars collection contains more than a few legendary holy grails.
He acquired an extremely elusive Boba Fett action figure on a Mexican Lili Ledy card, one of perhaps four sealed examples known to exist worldwide. “My Lili Ledy Boba Fett is by far one of the most rare collectibles,” Jacob said. He also tracked down foreign variants like a Squid Head figure from the Lili Ledy line, and coveted oddities such as a vinyl-cape Jawa on an Empire Strikes Back card. Jacob even dabbled in prototypes over the years, at one point owning a complete set of 12-inch figure prototypes, including a hand-painted Darth Vader, the type of pre-production item most fans can only dream about.
Jacob hasn’t just collected an impressive Star Wars collection though.
Walking into Jacob’s custom-designed and self built collection room is like stepping into a museum of 1970s and ’80s pop culture. Floor-to-ceiling glass displays showcase Star Wars alongside other vintage favorites like G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe, Transformers, and more. The collection’s sheer scope and immaculate presentation earned internet fame after a photo of Jacob’s display went viral, with some viewers even believing it was an AI-generated image. However, it was very real, and every item had a story.
After decades curating his Star Wars collection, Jeff Jacob made a decision that shocked many: he sold it all. Nearing 50 years of age, he began thinking about his legacy.
“I wouldn’t want my wife to have to deal with it if something happened to me,” Jacob said. “I’d rather see my collection go to the world and watch who gets my stuff.”
In 2022, he quietly contacted Hake’s Auctions, who jumped at the chance to handle the collection exclusively. Jacob insisted every item be sold and told no one until the public announcement. “I wanted everyone to have an equal chance,” he explained.
The first sale in January 2025 made history: 400+ lots brought in $1.45 million, including a Kenner Obi-Wan with double-telescoping lightsaber at $105K and an R2-D2 at $39K. A second auction followed in April at $1.2 million, and Part 3 is now live, with the crown jewel Lili Ledy Boba Fett headlining. The next auction takes place on the 26th of September, with more auctions to follow.
Despite fears of flooding the market, prices have surged. “People worried I’d flood the market,” Jacob said. “How? I only had one of each thing.” Instead, demand has soared, with both new and veteran collectors seizing the chance to own pieces once locked in his display cases.
As his collection finds new homes, Jacob offers clear advice: “Always, always, always try to find a collection.” For him, that was a winning formula. Buying in bulk and selling off extras funded his entire pursuit.
“If you build piece by piece, you’ll pay top dollar. But if you find collections, you can sell the extras and keep the ones you want for free.”
He also stresses community: toy shows and collector friendships often led to rare finds and trades. For newcomers, Jacob suggests starting small, learning the history, and trading up over time. “Collecting is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said.
Above all, Jacob insists on preserving the joy. “It’s like a lifetime of treasure hunting,” he said. “I don’t mean money. It’s the fun of finding this stuff and meeting people.” It’s a reminder that the true value of a collection lies in the experiences behind every piece.
In the end, Jeff Jacob’s auction marks the end of an era for one collector and the start of something exciting for countless others. His 32-year mission to collect the galaxy proves that with passion, persistence, and savvy trading, a fan can build something truly extraordinary. As his treasures spread out across the world, Jacob is watching their legacy continue in the hands of fellow enthusiasts.
This moment also speaks to where Star Wars Collectibles stand today. In the past year alone, we’ve seen a screen-used lightsaber from A New Hope ignite bidding wars and a 1/1 Star Wars Superfractor trading card set a new benchmark for modern collectibles. Now, Jacob’s $7 million troves join those record-breakers in showing how deep demand runs and how high the ceiling might be.
For a galaxy born a long time ago, Star Wars continues to feel more present, more powerful, and more collectible than ever. Jacob’s sale is a reminder that iconic stories create timeless value, whether they take shape as vintage action figures or screen ready props.
At VeVe, we see that same spirit driving the next generation of collectors as they chase rare finds, the stories they hold and the communities that develop around them.
The Force is clearly strong with Star Wars collectibles.
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