Steve Sansweet has long been known as one of the biggest Star Wars fans in history, holding the world’s largest collection of memorabilia from the movie and earning a position with Lucasfilm as Director of Content Management and head of fan relations for over 15 years. He is now the President and CEO of Rancho Obi-Wan, the organization that houses his collection as a charity that aims to serve the public “through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of Star Wars memorabilia and artifacts.
Sadly, the museum is not in the news for breaking another record. As Sansweet revealed on the museum’s blog, several rare items had been stolen over the past months and resold on the secondary market:
There were more than 100 valuable items stolen, the majority of them vintage U.S. and foreign carded action figures, many of them rare and important pieces. Most have either been resold or professionally appraised for a total of more than $200,000…
I, and the staff at Rancho Obi-Wan, are devastated.. Not only have important items been stolen from the collection, but also our time, energy and ability to trust unconditionally have taken a blow.
The alleged perpetrator is Carl Edward Cunningham, a “well-known Star Wars collector and R2-D2 builder” according to SyFyWire, and he is currently out on bail after surrendering for a warrant related to the theft. Several rare items and figures from the film’s history were taken, including the rare Boba Fett figure with a rocket-firing backpack. Rancho Obi-Wan is still seeking help to find the other missing items and taking tips via the museum’s blog. A list of some of the missing items includes:
Han Solo (Large Head) 12 Back
Death Squad Commander 12B back Palitoy
Jawa 12 Back Palitoy
Sand People 12A-back Palitoy
Ben Kenobi 12 Back-B Takara Sticker
Jawa 20-back J
Hammerhead SW 21-back card
Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot SW 21 back
R5-D4 SW 21-back card
R2-D2 ESB 31-back card
Darth Vader ESB 41 Back-A
Luke Skywalker (Bespin) Brown hair 47-back
R2-D2 with Sensorscope ROTJ 65-back Palitoy
Chewbacca POTF 92 Back
If there’s any information, you can check out the official site or send tips to tips@ranchoobiwan.org.
(Via SyFyWire / Rancho Obi-Wan)