A long time ago...
Summer 1981.
As a young Hong Kong native, Daisy spent most of her early years with her grandmother. Daisy was part of a large family, with three uncles and three aunts. 16-year-old Uncle Alan had taken up a summer job with a cleaning agency, servicing offices across Hong Kong. During one particular assignment in the Tsim Sha Tsui district, he stumbled upon a factory outlet selling Star Wars action figures right next to the office block he was cleaning. Being a devoted Star Wars fan, he purchased numerous figures over the summer. He stored this growing collection at his mother's house, thinking that his young niece would enjoy playing with them. As time passed, he not only expanded his collection but also started swapping his 'doubles' with friends and workmates. As the years went by, Daisy's interest in the figures waned. Eventually, at the age of thirteen, she was sent to boarding school in the United Kingdom. After completing her education, she decided to remain in the UK, where she's lived ever since.
November 2019.
Daisy crossed paths with her now-partner Neil, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with the decision of being apart or moving in together, they decided to take the plunge and became a 'Covid Couple'. Neil moved all his crap in, including his pain in the arse Bengal cat, and his modest collection of Star Wars figures and memorabilia. During their early days together, Daisy mentioned that she used to have some of those "rocket men" from her childhood. Fast forward to September 2023, and tragically, Daisy's grandmother, who had reached the remarkable age of 100, passed away. Daisy travelled back to Hong Kong to attend the funeral. Prior to returning to the UK, the family embarked on the challenging task of going through her late grandmother's possessions. Knowing Neil's enduring passion for collecting Star Wars items, when they found a bucket filled with "rocket men," Daisy started sending pictures to Neil, asking if any of them were worth keeping. Initially appearing as a bucket of "beaters," it turned out to be a significant find.
September 2023.
As the photos started coming through, the majority of figures were in reasonable condition and appeared at first to be regular production items. That was until the first pics of the Boba Fetts and Han Bespins started appearing on Whatsapp - "Whoa, what the hell are they? Where did they come from? Have they been hand-painted?" Questions kept coming from Neil who was trying not to get too excited. Being an Admin on the Facebook group Echo Base UK Vintage Trading, Neil shared the images in the admin group chat and it quickly became clear that these figures (if authentic) were potentially very special. Daisy was due to fly back to the UK the next day and had her Uncle's permission to take all of the figures back to the UK to have them authenticated and photographed. A nervous 24 hours followed as Daisy flew back from Hong Kong with the figures stuffed in her hand luggage. One of the other Admin on Echo suggested Neil speak to numerous members of the collecting community in the US and UK in order to authenticate the figures.
October 2023
After taking numerous detailed photographs, speaking to knowledgeable members of the collecting community and showing the figures to experts in the UK, it quickly became clear the figures were authentic. The next step was to decide what to do with the collection. Ultimately the owner decided he wanted to sell, and so we felt the best option in the first instance was to offer the figures for sale in a DOND/MMAO format website prior to grading the figures late 2024.
History
The following questions were put to the owner in an attempt to find out more about the history of the figures he bought.
Where did you buy the figures?
Factory shop.
Can you remember the name of the shop/factory?
No, sorry.
Can you remember the year?
1981 - I was 16 at the time.
Is the factory still there today? If not, what is?
I don’t know, the area has changed a lot.
Can you remember the name of the company you worked for and their address?
I worked part-time for a cleaning contractor as a summer job. We cleaned offices all over Hong Kong. I don’t remember the name of the company.
Did you buy all of the figures from the same place?
Yes, they came from the same place.
Did you ever give away or sell any of the figures that you bought?
I didn’t give any away but I did swap some with my friends.
Can you remember the packaging the figures came in if any?
They came in small plastic bags with a piece of cardboard inside.
Can you remember the prices you paid?
I don’t remember, but I wasn’t earning very much so they must have been cheap!
Do you have any receipts for the figures?
No, sorry.
Did you ever buy anything other than Star Wars figures?
No.
Did they sell anything else apart from Star Wars figures?
I don't think so.
Has anyone else ever offered to buy the figures from you?
No.
How long were you buying figures for?
Maybe 2 months or so, over the summer holidays.
Did you have any friends who also got Star Wars figures from the same place?
Yes, a work colleague.
Do you have any old photographs of:
- The area in which you worked
- The factory
- The figures themselves
- Daisy playing with the figures
No, sorry. I don't have many photographs from when I was a teenager.