Collection: Star Wars

Star Wars was created by George Lucas, and the saga began with the original film, released on 25 May 1977, which quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. In 1971 Lucas had wanted to adapt the Flash Gordon serial but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing a space opera of his own. An early treatment borrowed narrative beats from Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, and Lucas considered the Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, known for starring in many of Kurosawa's films, for the cast. Today the franchise, owned by Lucasfilm, is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

That thread back to Japanese cinema is part of why Star Wars sits so naturally in a Japanese collection. This collection gathers the Star Wars pieces we hold: Darth Vader and Stormtrooper armour dolls made in the Japanese doll-making tradition, Tin Age wind-up tinplate figures, Medicom Toy and KAWS art figures, DeAgostini build-up models, LEGO sets, watches, coins, sneakers and jackets.

In our handling, the box, the papers and the completeness of each piece matter as much as the character. For the Japanese build-up models, see our Lexicon entry on partwork; for the wind-up figures, see tin toy.