Star Wars original merchandising of the 1970s – and why the value of mine is almost zero

The Star Wars: Escape From Death Star board game,
from Kenner in the US and Palitoy in the UK

Collecting original Star Wars merchandising is the ideal pastime for the wealthy or the crazy. The rest of us may struggle to keep up.

The UK reviews of Star Wars: "Less than meets the eye"

A queue to see Star Wars in London's Leicester Square. Picture from starwars.com

In December 1977, the London film critics were, in many people's estimation, among the luckiest people in Britain. They had seen Star Wars long before it reached most of the country. 

'A new classic': Contemporary reviews of Star Wars

A Twentieth Century-Fox trade ad announces that Star Wars will be released in Dolby Stereo.
Source: theswca.com

After Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace garnered the kind of notices usually given to war crimes, George Lucas said: "Everything that was said about The Phantom Menace was said about Star Wars, almost verbatim."

But in fact, the early reviews of Star Wars were almost unanimously positive.

Britain in space: the UK release of Star Wars

Advance poster for the intensely anticipated
UK release of Star Wars at the end of 1977

The arrival of Star Wars in Britain was very different from its release on an unsuspecting US public in May 1977. The US didn't know what had hit it; the UK, however, had been desperate to see the film for months.

Day one: Star Wars on its first release, May 25 1977

Star Wars mania: Crowds at Mann's Chinese 
Theater in August 1977

There's a famous story about the opening day of Star Wars.