Category: Virtual Museum

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This is not just an Average Star Wars Poster!

not just an average Star Wars Poster

This is not just an average Star Wars poster now hanging in the expansion at Rancho Obi-Wan. This is a 1977 Factors Hildebrandt Star Wars poster that was recently rediscovered amongst other framed art pieces here in storage!

not your average Star Wars poster


And it’s not just a 1977 Factors Hildebrandt Star Wars poster… it’s a printer proof sheet copy! (note the color bar on the left hand side).  Printer proof sheets are rare, but what makes this piece really unique is that it’s a proof sheet on mylar that has been permanently mounted to a backer board. Normal proofs would be on regular white poster paper. When a photo of this poster was shown to Star Wars poster collectors group, they agreed that none of them has seen one like it before.

Rancho Obi-Wan Board member and Senior Writer at Lucasfilm, Pete Vilmer said, though none like this one have surfaced before, he has Lucasfilm documentation dated June 1977 requesting a mylar poster be made . So this poster proves at the very least an attempt was made to fulfill that request. Why it was never mass produced is still a mystery. Pete suggested the mounting of this poster may have be done as presentation piece to Lucasfilm or within the Factors company, but there’s no confirmation of that.

Perhaps more information will come to light on this piece, and if it does we will update this post. For now,  We are just excited to be able to now share this special Star Wars poster in the museum for all to enjoy!

Special Thanks to our docent, Dwayne Smith, for looking into the history of this Star Wars poster.

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Steve Sansweet Has More Answers for Your #AskSteve Questions Pt 2

Steve Sansweet has more answers for your #AskSteve questions submitted via our social media channels in March!

 

The collection contains many rare Japanese items, many acquired through my long time friend and fellow collector Sword Takeda. A sealed cup of Star Wars branded rice snacks or a similar package of bread sticks, both from 1978 come to mind. Among my favorites: over 20 posters, including mini billboards, of a Panasonic ad campaign only in Japan from the late 1980s featuring Star Wars characters AND George Lucas himself. – Steve Sansweet

See more about some of the Japanese Star Wars collectibles at Rancho Obi-Wan! 

 

 

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of great stories attached to items at Rancho Obi-Wan. That’s why a guided tour takes several hours. Visitors love to hear how something was developed, manufactured, acquired and any associated stories. There’s always the tale of how I picked up Qui-Gon Jinn’s soul—or sole, as the case may be—but you’ll need to book a tour to hear that one! – Steve Sansweet

Other remains of Qui-Gon Jinn

Come take a tour to hear all the stories! 

 

Wow! We’re getting a little heavy and philosophical here. I don’t know of anyone who has figured out how to take anything with them when they pass. My first assistant, Josh Ling, once answered a more ghoulish message board question by suggesting that I’d be laid out in the middle of the museum and it would be imploded around me. But the collection and spirit of Rancho Obi-Wan will last a long time into the future. – Steve Sansweet

 

We’ll have more answers to your questions coming soon!

Be sure to check out answers to #AskSteve Pt 1

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Steve Sansweet Has Answers for your #AskSteve Social Media Questions Pt 1

Did you #AskSteve a question

We recently posted on our social media channels if you would like to ask Steve Sansweet a question? 🤔
Tons of you submitted questions for the opportunity to get an answer from our Executive Chairman and Founder.
We have randomly selected questions and have some of your answers now from Steve himself!


Glad to hear that The Ultimate Action Figure Collection was one of your favorites. It was a lot of work to plan, research all the figures and do the photography. All of us involved were thrilled with how it turned out! But the market for Star Wars collectibles books is largely being filled these days with amazing self-published books by worldwide collectors. I’m not currently involved in any new publishing projects. – Steve Sansweet

 

 

The most unique and rarest Star Wars action figure that was available for purchase was a figure of Vlix, a crime lord from the animated Droids television series. Kenner Products never produced it or other Droids characters in a planned second wave because the first wave didn’t sell well and the series only ran one season in the mid 1980s. But for some reason, Brazilian affiliate Glasslite produced a Vlix in relatively low numbers in 1987. On a card, it’s worth its weight in gold. – Steve Sansweet

 

 

Fifty to 100 years? I’d be happy to solidify a plan for five to 10 years out. And our great board of directors is working on a strategic plan that could see a new kind of museum experience in that time frame. A lot of variables all have to go the right way, but we’re all firm believers in that old Kenner Products marketing slogan: Star Wars is forever!- Steve Sansweet

Stay tuned for more #AskSteve answers (and photos) coming soon!

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We discovered a rare Star Wars poster in our collection!

Steve Sansweet with rare Star Wars poster discovered in our collection.

While cataloguing our poster collection, we discovered a rare Star Wars poster!  Watch the video below to see Steve Sansweet explain why this poster from The Empire Strikes Back  is so special.

Read more below about what Steve Sansweet had to say about this finding rare poster!

This is a pre-press color separation used to make the four offset printing plates that were used to print the Style A theatrical poster for The Empire Strikes Back. It’s also familiarly known as the “Gone with the Wind” poster since—at George Lucas’s request—it’s an homage to a 1966 re-release poster of that famous film.

The Empire poster is from 1980 and was painted by American artist Roger Kastel, who is also responsible for the iconic theatrical poster for Jaws.

There usually would only be one color separation made for each print location. It, and the first test proofs produced, would be carefully checked by the printers and the movie studio for any problems before proceeding to print several thousand copies to distribute to theaters.

I have no recollection of where, when or how I acquired this rare treasure. It’s not unusual for me to make the most amazing “finds” by searching through my own collection since I’ve been collecting Star Wars memorabilia for 45 years! – Steve Sansweet

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Rancho Obi-Wan Presents: The Saga Museum Vol 1

Rancho Obi-Wan presents The Saga Museum Vol 1 debuted in August of 2022. This was a live stream fundraiser event on our Facebook page that featured a deep dive into portions of the Star Wars collections of Steve Sansweet, Gus Lopez, Duncan Jenkins, and Vic Wertz & Lisa Stevens.
We are excited to now share video of The Saga Museum Vol 1 here in our Virtual Museum!

Continue reading “Rancho Obi-Wan Presents: The Saga Museum Vol 1”