Antique Toy World Interview with Jeff Jacob | Page 4

One of the more esoteric aspects of his Star Wars collection is the complete set of Power of the Force coins . The Power of the Force line was the final wave of Kenner ’ s original Star Wars action figures and was released in ’ 85 . The line contained what collectors call “ The Last 17 ” figures , but differed from its predecessors because action figures were packaged with aluminum character coins . These coins depict the likeness of the character ( in an outfit / helmet that matched the figure and card art ) with the character ’ s name , figure designation ( i . e . “ Rebel Leader ” or “ Skiff Sentry ”), and often featured an additional background image like a ship .
Along with the toys sold in stores , Jacob also compiled an extensive Star Wars mailer collection . When Kenner secured the rights to make Star Wars toys , they received massive interest , but were pressed for time to design , test , produce , and package figures for the 1977 holiday season . Their solution was to send an Early Bird Certificate Package with a cardboard display stand and a certificate to redeem the first wave of 12 figures . Following the Early Bird Kit , Kenner continued offering mail-away collectibles with figures like Boba Fett , Bossk , and Nien Nunb , an action display stand , a survival kit , and more .
His collection expands outside of toys produced in the US to include one of the most complete Lili Ledy collections . Lili Ledy was one of the top Mexican toy producers in the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s and importer of Kenner items . This line shared some similarities with Star Wars figures released in the US , but there were also unique variations . Some of those included a 12 ” Tusken Raider figure , a Jawa with a removable hood , and Bib Fortuna with a burgundy cape . It included regular 3-3 / 4 ” action figures , 12 ” figures , vehicles , and other items .
He has an extensive collection of Tri-Logo action figures that were made by Palitoy for the European market , featuring the movie logo written in English , French , and Spanish languages . This was done as a way to cut costs by using multiple languages for easier distribution . Most figures in the line were put on the Tri-Logo cards , with card-backs that featured 70 characters .
“ The commitment to going after everything in the vintage Star Wars line , and having it all in one collection like this is very special ,” StarWarsTracker . com creator Jared Cope said . “ Even niche side areas such as a full set of [ Power of the Force ] coins including extremely rare mail away coins , and early Star Wars triple figure packs alongside everything else really puts Jeff and this collection head and shoulders above the rest .”