30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Monday, August 6, 2018

Hanging Up His Blasters

When it comes to pop culture, there are few things that rival my infatuation for Star Wars.  George Lucas kicked off the epic space saga when I was in kindergarten and like millions of other children I immediately became obsessed with the toys and trading cards.

Unfortunately, I didn't keep any of my childhood Star Wars memorabilia.  However over the past ten years or so, I've built a small collection that includes the 1977 Topps set, a few Lego sets and Funko Pops, and autographs of actors and actresses who portrayed some of my favorite characters.

A large part of my collection is centered around one of the franchise's most popular characters: Boba Fett.  His cult-like following means there is never a shortage of things to collect for his fans.  Thankfully... a fixed budget and lack of space help me keep it small and sentimental.

Here's a look at my most recent Boba Fett additions...

Marvel Star Wars #42
(1st Appearance of Boba Fett)

Technically, I purchased this comic book off of eBay back in 2014 for $2.25 (+ $6.95 shipping).  However back in February, I had Jeremy Bulloch add his signature to the cover when I was at the Las Vegas Toy Con.

The other item I had Mr. Bulloch sign was this action figure I purchased off of eBay specifically for the show:

2010 Hasbro Star Wars The Vintage Collection VC09

Although I had to spend $25 for the figure and $9.20 for the comic, the autographs and BGS certification were paid for by my buddy who helped with the signing.  Nothing in life is free though.  While he helped out with the signing, I worked his booth.

My buddy had mentioned that Mr. Bulloch was slowing down with age and he wouldn't be surprised if he stopped signing for shows in the near future.


On Saturday, he announced to his fans that he will no longer be attending conventions.  Like most retirements, this is a bittersweet moment.  On one hand, fans won't be able to hang out and meet their favorite bounty hunter.

On the other hand... it's great to hear that he's hanging up his blasters and going to relax with his family and friends.  He's definitely earned that right after entertaining millions of Star Wars fans over the past thirty-eight years.

Congratulations on your retirement Mr. Bulloch!  Thank you for the memories.

Happy Monday and sayonara!


The Saga Continues...

The comic book and action figure were the 6th and 7th signed items I've added to my Boba Fett collection.  Here's a look at the other five:

Custom 8x10 Photograph (JSA Authenticated)

Santa Cruz Star Wars Inlay Deck (JSA Authenticated)

Funko Pop (JSA Authenticated)

All three of these items were signed at a private signing my buddy held with Mr. Bulloch back in February of 2017.

The last two were purchased off of eBay:

2015 Topps Star Wars High Tek Signers #11

MLB Official Baseball (JSA Authenticated)

Okay, it's your turn...

Anyone else collect Star Wars memorabilia?  What about non-sports autographs?


11 comments:

The Lost Collector said...

I know nothing about Star Wars, but those seem like some great piece of memorabilia.

I don't collect non-sports, although I do have a signed Bob Barker photo that I really like.

defgav said...

Bad-ass Boba collection there!

I've got a handful of Star Wars auto cards, but haven't really taken the plunge into the deep end.

Jafronius said...

I have a few of the Star Wars trading card sets from the late 90's and some action figures and toys in storage (when Target put them on clearance). Not enough money (and too many parallels) to try to get today's card sets.

Boba Fett signed a baseball?

Commishbob said...

That guy has an awesome signature. Looks nice on those things.

Star Wars lost me in the first movie because I was too bleeping lazy (or maybe buzzed) to read the scrolling preamble that rolled up the screen. I never caught up. LOL One of my boys loved the red and black character Darth Maul(?) from one of the movies and he had a bunch of the action figures of the guy. They are still in the box of 'stuff' he left when he went off to college.

I collect (if that's the right word) sigs of artists involved in vintage Topps non-sports sets. Guys who worked on Mars Attacks, Civil War News, etc.

Big Tone said...

A Boba Fett signed baseball?Classic!

gcrl said...

my brother collected the star wars card sets for the first movie and empire back when they were issued. we both collected (played with, rather) the figures and vehicles from '78 through '83. i sold/traded them to a guy in the early '90s for baseball cards, including a 1971 topps ryan and 1989 ud griffey. i thought it was a good deal at the time, but it was not. one of the things i traded away was a milennium falcon. with the box.

Steve at 1975BaseballCards.com said...

Yup, had a ton of original figures and toys that I bought as a kid. I don't recall what happened to them or more likely I'm blocking out the pain of not keeping them. All I have left are the cards.

Corky said...

He has been one of the most steady Star Wars signers, he loves the fans and loved his character. His autographs really enhance whatever he signs. I love the 8x10 and the board, they are both so cool.

Nick Vossbrink said...

Collect is a bit of a reach but signed books is kind of a thing I've got going on. Often photographers but I've got them across many genres. My favorite here though is Norton Juster since he was (and is) still one of my heroes.

SumoMenkoMan said...

He has an amazing signature and really takes pride in it. Great write-up and I am glad he is going to spend some time relaxing.

Fuji said...

the lost collector - my mom would be jealous of that barker autograph

defgav - this is about as deep as it gets... although i do enjoy picking up an occasional lego set from time to time. those suckers can be pricey.

jafronius & big tone - i have a very small collection of signed baseball by actors. i know it's weird

commishbob - your son made a good choice. darth maul is very cool for his looks alone. your artist signature collection sounds interesting.

gcrl - wow. a millenium falcon in the box sounds pretty awesome. i bet that's worth a pretty penny today.

steve at 1975baseballcards.com - at least you kept your cards. all of my childhood collection is gone. :(

corky - my buddy had someone professionally design that photo... and the skateboard is definitely the centerpiece to my collection.

nick vossbrink - dude. i love your photography. are you ever going to put a book together? i'd buy a signed copy.

sumomenkoman - yeah. his signature is a piece of work. according to my friend, he spent a lot of time with each signature.