After visiting Celebration yesterday and reading this thread it seems to me that us OT fans and collectors are now in the minority. Most stalls at Celebration had people flocking for new toys, and I've seen several sellers say vintage sales have been slow. Most of the cosplayers I saw were wearing prequel or modern costumes, and most of the celebrities and autographers were also not OT (although obviously many actors have passed now so have to take that into account.) The only place vintage collectors looked to be the majority was in the Collecting Track area, which compared to the tens of thousands of attendees was tiny, maybe a couple of hundred people at most.
I think new films and new collectors are great for the longevity of Star Wars as a brand, but it seems that the OT is starting to fade in popularity, both the movies and toys. I was in an antique shop last week and there were stacks of pre-1950s military toys that obviously had been sitting there for years, I assume because the people who played with them as kids are probably dead now, and a younger generation hasn't taken over collecting these things.
So while vintage prices still appear high, is demand starting to fall? Will every Celebration see vintage toys and OT movie attractions fade further into the background? Is it time to start selling off the things I don't need before they become those abandoned antique shop toys?
I think new films and new collectors are great for the longevity of Star Wars as a brand, but it seems that the OT is starting to fade in popularity, both the movies and toys. I was in an antique shop last week and there were stacks of pre-1950s military toys that obviously had been sitting there for years, I assume because the people who played with them as kids are probably dead now, and a younger generation hasn't taken over collecting these things.
So while vintage prices still appear high, is demand starting to fall? Will every Celebration see vintage toys and OT movie attractions fade further into the background? Is it time to start selling off the things I don't need before they become those abandoned antique shop toys?