The future of Vintage Star Wars collecting

Andyclarke

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We seem to be in a boom period for collecting vintage Star Wars, with many children of that period now having a high amount of disposable income, but what does the long term future hold? I've witnessed first hand the Matchbox, Dinky etc. die-cast car market changing rapidly due to collectors, to put it bluntly, dying off. Huge collections of die-cast are coming to market and prices have dropped considerably for the less common stuff. Is the same going to happen with vintage Star Wars in 30 years time?

I just wondered what the consensus is, at some point (hopefully not for a long time) I will need to move it on. I was wondering:

Are there collectors out there now who never experienced first hand the joy of buying vintage Star Wars from shops?

Will there be a generation who will carry the torch on?

Do you intend to pass on to your kids to do with what they please? I know my kids have no interest in the hobby.

There are some big collections out there that haven't seen the light of day. Are there going to be enough pieces to keep new collectors satisfied?

Are there collectors out there who are really investors with no real emotional ties?

There may be a point in which it is prudent to sell up, when would that be, are you already formulating an escape plan?

Just thought I'd open this up for discussion, it might be something you have never thought about. :?
 

reddogblues

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I think as long as Star Wars stays relevant there will always be an interest. They aren't making Dinky movies to keep interest alive.

I do also think, however, that our generation will have a unique place in collecting, as we fell in love with it all first-time around. For new collectors, they don't have the same nostalgia, perhaps not willing to pay premium prices for pieces they used to own, or always wanted as a kid and never got.

So, I think prices in the long-term will fall. But, as long as they keep churning out Star Wars movies, TV shows and games, then some interest will always remain in the original items. But, kids nowadays aren't as bothered about toys, so when that generation grows-up, they are less likely to want to collect things they never had an interest in. So, I can only foresee interest eventually waning in the old toys. I am not expecting my SW collection will fund my retirement for sure :)
 

edd_jedi

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I think you may be right long term, but I don't think it will happen any time soon as the majority of Star Wars collectors are in their 40s. There are some like me still just about in their 30s, and of course some in their 50s or 60s, but the majority should have several decades left. Also the more recent films have brought new life in to the hobby, I'm not sure if the same could be said for Dinky or Action Man which very much are of a certain era and never really made a comeback.

Saying that, I do think prices are inflated at the moment due to some of the recent 'mega bucks' collectors.
 

ChallengerFox

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I think if they keep making films and spinoffs the original stuff will only rise in value, look at comic books, the early Superman and Batman comics from the 1930's go for hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions.
 

Snaketibe

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I agree interest will remain high for quite a while since, as has been pointed out, whilst collecting vintage Star Wars spans generations, it's certainly true to say that the majority of collectors seem to be people (like me!) now in their forties who owned the toys when they were children.

However there is another factor that could seriously impact prices in the longer term, since this is basically a supply and demand situation, where currently the latter seriously outstrips the former for many items, especially mint ones. What I am thinking of is the degradation of the items themselves; figures that start to yellow and discolour, bubbles that turn yellow and become brittle and crack, bubbles that start to come away from their cardbacks, etc.

My collection has been as well looked after as any, with no sunlight, cigarette smoke or other harmful factors coming anywhere near them for decades, and yet my crystal clear bubbled POTF Romba careful packed away for years in cool, dark, dry storage, came out of said storage with a bubble that was almost brown. A mint loose Prune Face sat undisturbed in a display cabinet for years, yet when I took it out a couple of years ago the chest had turned yellow beneath his cloak.

These were toys and they weren't built to last. Plastic can, and often does, degrade, leaving vintage owners with once-mint toys that no longer are. This in turn places a higher premium on those remaining examples which are still in mint condition.

As time goes by, plastic degradation, glue and tape failure, plus simple accidents, all chip away at the finite global supply of these items. Add to that new Star Wars films and TV shows drumming up continued and new interest in all things Star Wars, especially in those of us with the nostalgic drive to 'recapture our childhoods' through the toys we used to own, and I can see prices continuing to rise for some time to come.

Give it 30-40 years when we all start kicking the bucket, and interest in vintage will presumably nosedive like it has for Dinky and Corgi, etc., but I think the hobby has got pretty good legs for the time being.
 

Andyclarke

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reddogblues said:
I think as long as Star Wars stays relevant there will always be an interest. They aren't making Dinky movies to keep interest alive.

I do also think, however, that our generation will have a unique place in collecting, as we fell in love with it all first-time around. For new collectors, they don't have the same nostalgia, perhaps not willing to pay premium prices for pieces they used to own, or always wanted as a kid and never got.

So, I think prices in the long-term will fall. But, as long as they keep churning out Star Wars movies, TV shows and games, then some interest will always remain in the original items. But, kids nowadays aren't as bothered about toys, so when that generation grows-up, they are less likely to want to collect things they never had an interest in. So, I can only foresee interest eventually waning in the old toys. I am not expecting my SW collection will fund my retirement for sure :)

Maybe this is the crux of it. We're probably a unique generation that loved toys but also got to enjoy computer games. I would certainly collect toys that pre dated me because I appreciate the beauty of vintage toys. Have a look at toy lines like Major Matt Mason, Planet of the Apes etc
I'm not sure the next generation brought up on computer games holds toys with such regard. Most now probably stop playing with toys at 7 or 8. For us it was probably 3 or 4 years later and we had less distractions.

As less and less action figures are played with perhaps Lego holds the key, it may well be the new vintage Star Wars and at least keep that toy collecting mentality in people.

Or maybe they'll be appreciated as works of art in the future.
 

bosk70

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I agree with all the above, when I was growing up and playing with toys in the late 70's early 80's we would think nothing of setting up huge dioramas in the garden with mud, boxes and old polystyrene nicked from the supermarket when mum was doing the shopping. Star wars , action man, mac men, micronauts, bionic man all mixed together.
I just don't think kids of today do this, most are, in my experience, glued to their i pads and i phones from a too young age and just don't go outdoors as much, think back to when it was school holidays when we were kids, the street's , parks woods were filled with kids, this all defiantly affects how they view toys. My kids had no interest in any of my old toys and had no interest in hanging on to there old toys, I cannot imagine that they will seek out the toys they had as kids in the same way we do . Its just a different generation with different idea's on nostalgia, they will probably collect all the model's of I phones and I pads to recapture their youth :lol:
 

starshipriot

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Andyclarke said:
We seem to be in a boom period for collecting vintage Star Wars, with many children of that period now having a high amount of disposable income, but what does the long term future hold? I've witnessed first hand the Matchbox, Dinky etc. die-cast car market changing rapidly due to collectors, to put it bluntly, dying off. Huge collections of die-cast are coming to market and prices have dropped considerably for the less common stuff. Is the same going to happen with vintage Star Wars in 30 years time?

I just wondered what the consensus is, at some point (hopefully not for a long time) I will need to move it on. I was wondering:

Are there collectors out there now who never experienced first hand the joy of buying vintage Star Wars from shops?

Will there be a generation who will carry the torch on?

Do you intend to pass on to your kids to do with what they please? I know my kids have no interest in the hobby.

There are some big collections out there that haven't seen the light of day. Are there going to be enough pieces to keep new collectors satisfied?

Are there collectors out there who are really investors with no real emotional ties?

There may be a point in which it is prudent to sell up, when would that be, are you already formulating an escape plan?

Just thought I'd open this up for discussion, it might be something you have never thought about. :?


I never experienced Vintage Star Wars first hand, being born in 1990. But I discovered it in the form of a Return of the Jedi annual when I was four, and a week later my Gran bought me a shoe box full of mostly ROTJ figures a week later off the car boot.
So I still have nostalgic memories of Vintage Star Wars despite not experiencing it first hand.
I am someone who has always appreciated things from before my time, all kinds of antiques and collectables, punk rock, toys and video games, but I don't see many people of my age getting excited because they found a UK Subs LP in a charity shop, or being ecstatic about receiving a Vectrex games console for Christmas.

So maybe I am just unconventional. But I find much more value in history of the things that interestme than I do in a lot of things produced today.

But if people weren't interested in the past, museums wouldn't exist. I'm sure Star Wars will always be culturally relevant and will always have its fans, and as such people will always part with a few quid for some vintage Star Wars, if only as a curiosity. I doubt it thirty or fourty years time people will be paying hundereds for a yak face or pop up R2D2. But I guess time will tell!
 

Ruby2511

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bosk70 said:
I agree with all the above, when I was growing up and playing with toys in the late 70's early 80's we would think nothing of setting up huge dioramas in the garden with mud, boxes and old polystyrene nicked from the supermarket when mum was doing the shopping. Star wars , action man, mac men, micronauts, bionic man all mixed together.
I just don't think kids of today do this, most are, in my experience, glued to their i pads and i phones from a too young age and just don't go outdoors as much, think back to when it was school holidays when we were kids, the street's , parks woods were filled with kids, this all defiantly affects how they view toys. My kids had no interest in any of my old toys and had no interest in hanging on to there old toys, I cannot imagine that they will seek out the toys they had as kids in the same way we do . Its just a different generation with different idea's on nostalgia, they will probably collect all the model's of I phones and I pads to recapture their youth :lol:

Totally agree with you, we didn't have the tech that's available nowadays when I was growing up, yes you had video games for the commodore 64, and hand held games, but nothing felt better than playing outside with your action men, a team or star wars collection or out for hours on my Raleigh Burner. I had loads of fun when I was a kid and wish the kids of today could have a taste of what it was like back in the 80's. Think most of them would have a meltdown if they were away from their phones for more than 10 minutes :lol:

I personally think that their will always be a market and demand for star wars, let's face it it never ages, especially the original trilogy. It's like minded people like us who keep it going and appreciate the nostalgia and the quality of the figures, for me it's about reliving my childhood and collecting the figures and ships i had that my friggin mum gave away :shock:

I can see that some prices are stupidly expensive on ebay for example. You will always get those who chance their arm, but if you look hard enough the bargains are still out there :D
 

Crumm

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Ruby2511 said:
bosk70 said:
I agree with all the above, when I was growing up and playing with toys in the late 70's early 80's we would think nothing of setting up huge dioramas in the garden with mud, boxes and old polystyrene nicked from the supermarket when mum was doing the shopping. Star wars , action man, mac men, micronauts, bionic man all mixed together.
I just don't think kids of today do this, most are, in my experience, glued to their i pads and i phones from a too young age and just don't go outdoors as much, think back to when it was school holidays when we were kids, the street's , parks woods were filled with kids, this all defiantly affects how they view toys. My kids had no interest in any of my old toys and had no interest in hanging on to there old toys, I cannot imagine that they will seek out the toys they had as kids in the same way we do . Its just a different generation with different idea's on nostalgia, they will probably collect all the model's of I phones and I pads to recapture their youth :lol:

Totally agree with you, we didn't have the tech that's available nowadays when I was growing up, yes you had video games for the commodore 64, and hand held games, but nothing felt better than playing outside with your action men, a team or star wars collection or out for hours on my Raleigh Burner. I had loads of fun when I was a kid and wish the kids of today could have a taste of what it was like back in the 80's. Think most of them would have a meltdown if they were away from their phones for more than 10 minutes :lol:

I personally think that their will always be a market and demand for star wars, let's face it it never ages, especially the original trilogy. It's like minded people like us who keep it going and appreciate the nostalgia and the quality of the figures, for me it's about reliving my childhood and collecting the figures and ships i had that my friggin mum gave away :shock:

I can see that some prices are stupidly expensive on ebay for example. You will always get those who chance their arm, but if you look hard enough the bargains are still out there :D

I agree, I think we were truly the last generation to have great toys, computer games and complete freedom to go where we wanted whenever we wanted. I sometimes feel a little sorry for my son, he will never experience the freedom that I had as a kid, it simply does not happen nowadays.

During the six-week holidays my parents literally never saw me! I would be off on my BMX in the morning and not be back until tea-time.

Great memories.

Anyway, I guess as collectors from our generation start dying off further down the line, then the demand will drop, which I think will impact value somewhat in a negative way.

There will always be a value to vintage Star Wars, but I think it will change as the years progress.

I am planning to keep mine and pass them on to my son when I finally drop off, a little something to remember me by and have perhaps some value if he is ever hard-up for cash :lol:
 

Pomse2001

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Crumm said:
Ruby2511 said:
bosk70 said:
I agree with all the above, when I was growing up and playing with toys in the late 70's early 80's we would think nothing of setting up huge dioramas in the garden with mud, boxes and old polystyrene nicked from the supermarket when mum was doing the shopping. Star wars , action man, mac men, micronauts, bionic man all mixed together.
I just don't think kids of today do this, most are, in my experience, glued to their i pads and i phones from a too young age and just don't go outdoors as much, think back to when it was school holidays when we were kids, the street's , parks woods were filled with kids, this all defiantly affects how they view toys. My kids had no interest in any of my old toys and had no interest in hanging on to there old toys, I cannot imagine that they will seek out the toys they had as kids in the same way we do . Its just a different generation with different idea's on nostalgia, they will probably collect all the model's of I phones and I pads to recapture their youth :lol:

Totally agree with you, we didn't have the tech that's available nowadays when I was growing up, yes you had video games for the commodore 64, and hand held games, but nothing felt better than playing outside with your action men, a team or star wars collection or out for hours on my Raleigh Burner. I had loads of fun when I was a kid and wish the kids of today could have a taste of what it was like back in the 80's. Think most of them would have a meltdown if they were away from their phones for more than 10 minutes :lol:

I personally think that their will always be a market and demand for star wars, let's face it it never ages, especially the original trilogy. It's like minded people like us who keep it going and appreciate the nostalgia and the quality of the figures, for me it's about reliving my childhood and collecting the figures and ships i had that my friggin mum gave away :shock:

I can see that some prices are stupidly expensive on ebay for example. You will always get those who chance their arm, but if you look hard enough the bargains are still out there :D

I agree, I think we were truly the last generation to have great toys, computer games and complete freedom to go where we wanted whenever we wanted. I sometimes feel a little sorry for my son, he will never experience the freedom that I had as a kid, it simply does not happen nowadays.

During the six-week holidays my parents literally never saw me! I would be off on my BMX in the morning and not be back until tea-time.

Great memories.

Anyway, I guess as collectors from our generation start dying off further down the line, then the demand will drop, which I think will impact value somewhat in a negative way.

There will always be a value to vintage Star Wars, but I think it will change as the years progress.

I am planning to keep mine and pass them on to my son when I finally drop off, a little something to remember me by and have perhaps some value if he is ever hard-up for cash :lol:

My dad had to come out and look for me, because I wanted to be out and play and I did not want to come home and go to bed :lol:
 

Ruby2511

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Pomse2001 said:
Crumm said:
Ruby2511 said:
Totally agree with you, we didn't have the tech that's available nowadays when I was growing up, yes you had video games for the commodore 64, and hand held games, but nothing felt better than playing outside with your action men, a team or star wars collection or out for hours on my Raleigh Burner. I had loads of fun when I was a kid and wish the kids of today could have a taste of what it was like back in the 80's. Think most of them would have a meltdown if they were away from their phones for more than 10 minutes :lol:

I personally think that their will always be a market and demand for star wars, let's face it it never ages, especially the original trilogy. It's like minded people like us who keep it going and appreciate the nostalgia and the quality of the figures, for me it's about reliving my childhood and collecting the figures and ships i had that my friggin mum gave away :shock:

I can see that some prices are stupidly expensive on ebay for example. You will always get those who chance their arm, but if you look hard enough the bargains are still out there :D

I agree, I think we were truly the last generation to have great toys, computer games and complete freedom to go where we wanted whenever we wanted. I sometimes feel a little sorry for my son, he will never experience the freedom that I had as a kid, it simply does not happen nowadays.

During the six-week holidays my parents literally never saw me! I would be off on my BMX in the morning and not be back until tea-time.

Great memories.

Anyway, I guess as collectors from our generation start dying off further down the line, then the demand will drop, which I think will impact value somewhat in a negative way.

There will always be a value to vintage Star Wars, but I think it will change as the years progress.

I am planning to keep mine and pass them on to my son when I finally drop off, a little something to remember me by and have perhaps some value if he is ever hard-up for cash :lol:

My dad had to come out and look for me, because I wanted to be out and play and I did not want to come home and go to bed :lol:

:lol: :lol: same here, we lived in a semi rural area so used to be out for hours. Loved the 6 week holidays, we had 3 weeks in France every year, then the rest of the time was out constantly 8)

Think I will pass my collection on to my son, he appreciates what it takes to be a collector (diehard Transformers fan) I know he will look after it :D
 

Pomse2001

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I agree with you all :D

Maybe prices will go down again, but I will see it first, I have only seen prices going up and up. Last year and the beginning of 2019 have been a nightmare for me, I do not win most of the auctions anymore :(

Yes there is collectors out there, even on the forum that have not bought star wars in the 70s and 80s because they were not born in the good old 70s and 80s.

There is allready a generation who will carry the torch on, I am sure the younger members on the forum will do that.

I do not have kids yet, but if we get any then I hope they will have my collection.

Today there is not enough pieces to keep new collectors satisfied :(

I am sure that there are collectors out there who are really investors with no real emotional ties, I even see them in denmark. They buy most of the lots I see for sale in denmark and then just place it all for sale just to make a profit. Also one of many reasons why prices is high today. But also more variant collectors, more collectors and much more items on auctions with a high starting bid or a high buy it now price. If we just could remove the ones who buy just to make a profit then I think prices would go down so a real collector could get them cheaper and the price not would be pushed up. Also less new loft collections push the price up and that disney keep making new movies.

I have no escape plan, but I must admit if it was not for the forum that keep the good things alive then I would maybe have had a break for the star wars collecting, because I really love to buy childhood lots and look in them for new variants, upgrade figures, weapons, vehicles and playsets. But when I can't win the lots when they come up for sale then it is not as funny as it was before.

about kids and phones, I can say I do not have a smartphone because then I would end like all the kids you guys write about that sit all day long with a phone, so I have choosen to have a cheap mobile phone :lol: we do not have any kids yet so I do not know if the kids we hope to get in the future shall have a smartphone :?
 

Wreck-It Ralph

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Sadly I think the continuation of collecting will be determined by price as most collectors feel comfortable with what they collect when prices are on the increase. Unfortunately the deterioration of items (Bubble & Glue deterioration) especially POTF in recent times will undoubtedly reduce demand and price and that reducing price will further deflate demand. As a Comic and MOC collector I do not think you can compare the two as comics are far less specific in that they are based on multiple characters and films and MOC'S/Loose Figures are based on one film, if Star Wars loses popularity the whole collecting genre drops, what is the chance of every comic book character losing popularity. Also a MOC is far more likely to perish than a Comic as most comics are graded and thereby protected from extended deterioration whereas MOC'S deteriorate even when kept in ideal conditions. I think Kenner offers far greater growth than Palitoy due to the massive population difference between the UK and US as can be seen in the meteioric prices rises with certain items since the Hakes Auction. Personally I do not think Star Wars Investment exists I think we are all just collectors.

I also agree with previous posts that the younger generation have far more technical gadgetry to keep them amused and will they really be interested in the play things of a few old men, I know I have very little interest in knowing what toys my father or grandfather played with.
 

sith-smith

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The way I look at it is not as the future of collecting, but as the future of my collecting.

I try as possible not to let that be affected too much by what anyone else is doing. Not easy admittedly.

ultimately I have only collected for one reason and for one person. Myself and my own enjoyment.

I've never once bought a piece thinking that in a few years it will be worth more. If I decide to sell up in 30 years time and no one wants to buy them then so be it. I never bought them for that reason, so am not going to lose sleep over it.

If they all drop drastically in price tomorrow and something I paid 5k for is now only worth a few hundred, then so what? I never collected as any kind of investment opportunity or as a future retirement fund etc. It will not stop me from enjoying that piece.

That said, in terms of collecting in general, it will no doubt continue. Star Wars is a massive part of our cultural understanding so I can't see how it will not still be a much loved franchise many years into the future. As people have already said, the movies help maintain its presence unlike with thing like dinky toys

Yes a lot of us collect out of nostalgia because we were there at the beginning, but there are lots of other nostalgic feelings people can have towards something even if they weren't there at its conception.

People will still want to collect things that are rare/expensive for that reason alone.

In there future will there be as many collectors as today? Hard to be certain but I do think that once the original Star Wars generation has died out it will be a very different type of collector and I would have thought there would be far fewer.

Today you have the SW generation plus those who have come into it post era. In time only the post era people will be left, so the SW collecting world will have lost a major demographic. I would have though that is its largest group.

It is an interesting question for sure.

Does anyone know much about SW collecting in the past? I didn't begin until 92, just before it went crazy. Anyone have much info on it prior to that?
 

_Lee_

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Interesting thread. Fortunately for me my son has pretty much carried the mantle from me. As soon as i find a Palitoy 12 back Vader reseal to finish my 12 backs im bailing out of toy collecting. Ive got some good memories, made some good friends and seen so much in the past 27 years collecting. I was lucky enough to have been around since the start in the 70s and that is something money cannot buy.

I know im one of few here, but the recent movies TFA and TLJ did really shock me with how **** they were, almost an embarrassment to the saga. I think the future as a collector is poor. Figures rehashes, packaging designs and things that look out of place now identify much of th SW line. it is saturated and when i see vintage collection figures going for upwards of £40 it proves how messed up the hobby is for the new blood. Even the recently revealed vintage retro line look like utter dog ****, and quite frankly i could see why people would buy a repro card kit just to remove the stupid aged look they are trying to promote. They are not releasing these for any other reason but to try to stop the reproductiion trade. To be honest there are repro card kits out there that put the modern overpriced stuff to shame, and i myself cannot stand repros although i do understand why some poeple want them.

Basically , as long as vintage figures exist then we get new blood but it will be few from a large pool. That wanker on YT melting figures has ultimately cost many collectors a chance to get on the ladder. Its now a selfish and horrible hobby in many cases, and money see ms to define people and the collector they are.
 

Bonsai_Tree_Ent

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We are living in the era of the geek. If I was an antique dealer I would be worried about my stock of brown furniture, brass, porcelain, and aged portraits. However, I'd be pretty confident that anything connected to tin robots, space toys, and super heroes would do all right.

When the original Star Wars generation reaches retirement age and REALLY starts to indulge in their hobby, probably the years 2035-2050, that will likely be the pinnacle of the market. However, I don't think values will ever shrink so much that these toys will be worthless.

As you get older, you do get a little wiser and I think your attitude towards money also changes. You posses a better understanding of your own mortality and realise that numbers in a bank account are rather redundant compared to contentment, happiness and a life well lived and loved.
 

TheJabbaWookie

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Bonsai_Tree_Ent said:
As you get older, you do get a little wiser and I think your attitude towards money also changes. You posses a better understanding of your own mortality and realise that numbers in a bank account are rather redundant compared to contentment, happiness and a life well lived and loved.
Nice sentiment Matt
 

Bonsai_Tree_Ent

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Thanks dude, and actually there are loads of great responses in this thread. I've been spending a lot of my 'hobby reading time' recently on facebook and this has been a good reminder of how noticeably more in-depth and superior the level of convo is in this forum.
 
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