The Power of the Patch

Rancho Obi-Wan Original Gold PatchThe Star Wars collector community knows no bounds. People collect everything from action figures to autographs, art prints to coins, but my favorite of all the collecting genre is patches. If you weren’t a patch collector before reading this, I hope that by the time you’re through you might want to snag your first. After all, patch traders are nothing without people to trade with. So what is it about patches? Well, it’s not just one thing, it’s many.

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Lucasfilm and Pinewood Studios Propshop Launch New Line of Screen-like Prop Relicas

DSC02690Unveiling Finn’s helmet—from the most authentic line of prop replicas ever made. Rancho Obi-Wan is proud to take part in the unveiling of a new line that comes as close to screen-used props as possible. Thanks to Lucasfilm, we’re excited to add to our collection this incredible FN-2187 Stormtrooper helmet with bloody handprint, part of the Star Wars Collectibles: Ultimate Studio Edition line. It’s as close to a screen-used prop as you can buy.

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Topps Digital Star Wars Cards: A Surprisingly Fun Experience

I have to admit that at first I was dubious. I’ve been collecting Topps STAR WARS™ cards since the first set started showing up with slabs of gum in 1977. My love of cards goes back even further to collecting baseball and non-sports card when I was growing up. But buying and collecting digital STAR WARS cards from Topps?

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Happy Life Day—For the 36th Time; Now Go Out and Collect Something!

Yep! We’re giving a shout-out to the sadly misguided Star Wars Holiday Special. Why? Because as fans of all things Star Wars, we think every aspect of that faraway galaxy is worthy of some love, even if that means tough love. And with the Holiday Special turning 36 today, we thought it deserved a bit of charitable coverage, seeing as how it’s responsible for one more holiday on the Star Wars calendar: Life Day, a sort of saga analog to a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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Mystery Solved! A Tale of Snow-Swept Chewbacca, Bantha Tracks and Me

A long time ago from an Indiana farmhouse really far away, I joined the Official Star Wars Fan Club. I remember being concerned that galactic deliveries wouldn’t find their way to our Rural Route address, but my Mom assured me that if it truly was the “Official” Star Wars fan club not to worry.

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The Slug Years: The Life and Times of an Intergalactic Gangster

By Brian Anderson
TK-7602, 501st Legion

Jabba and friends at Celebration VI, 2012
Jabba and friends at Celebration VI, 2012

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….

Wow! It really was a long time ago: hard to believe that we started this project more than seven years ago! And now the Big Slug will be the star of the second annual Rancho Obi-Wan Gala!
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The Strange 1982 GE Star Wars Competition Down Under

Poster for GE/Kenner Australia contest
Poster for GE/Kenner Australia contest

While 1982 was an off-year for Star Wars movie releases, worldwide promotions were touting the airing of the original Star Wars on television as well as the upcoming Revenge of the Jedi (before its famous name change).

One 1982 promotion that’s come to be known more for its poster than the contest it was part of was a General Electric Star Wars competition in Australia. The poster is notorious for being somewhat misleading; it’s undated and appears to be promoting Star Wars “The Movie” but shows a photo from The Empire Strikes Back. To add to the confusion, the original Kenner logo with the classic Hildebrandt Bros. Luke and Leia art appears in the lower left, suggesting some kind of Kenner tie-in; that detail has long piqued the interest of Star Wars toy collectors.

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