A GUIDE TO STAR WARS COIN COLLECTING

"A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away....."

- MICHAEL GAROFALO

So begins each Star Wars movie, a phenomenon that began in 1977 with the release of the first movie “Star Wars” which was later retroactively titled “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.”  This ground-breaking movie was written and directed by George Lucas.

Set in a fictional universe where the entire galaxy is ruled by an evil empire, the Galactic Empire, this first movie introduced a group of heroes known as the Rebel Alliance – and it includes such now well-known characters as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, R2D2 and C3PO. The Alliance attempts to destroy the Empire’s new and most dangerous weapon, the Death Star. This weapon is capable of turning entire planets into smoking rubble.

Essentially, all of the Star Wars movies embody the primordial struggle between good and evil. The series has introduced hundreds of new characters and has portrayed them in different stages of their lives. It also introduced hundreds of non-human fictional characters who have become revered movie friends or feared cinematic enemies.

And the public has embraced these movies over the last 45 years. The 12 movies in the Star Wars collection have grossed over $10,000,000,000.00 (that's correct $10 billion) worldwide.

Naturally, movies that are this popular cause the studios to cut all types of deals with every conceivable type of manufacturer for all types of memorabilia, souvenirs and collectibles. Star Wars licensed clothes, costumes, toys, games, videos, action figures, helmets, pins, light sabers and, of course, collectible coins!