1. Darth Vader with double-telescoping light sabre (Kenner, 1978) - £5,000-plus

The pinnacle of Star Wars collecting, this action figure was one of the groundbreaking range from Kenner that shrunk the format from the GI Joe-standard of 12" to a cheaper and more playable 3 3/4". Each came with accessories - in Darth Vader's case a light-sabre and cape. In the short-lived and most sought-after first issue the latter was "double-telescoping", with a two part beam. Only three carded examples – on their original card mount – are known to exist.

*****

9. SD Darth Vader (Comic Images, 2007) - £6.99

"SD" stands for "super deformed" - a cute style of Japanese animation where the heads of characters account for a third to half of their height (rather than one eighth, as in life). This 7" plush representation shows a very different – huggable – side to the sith lord than the action figure which heads this list and is a big seller – now sold-out at many retailers. Chewbacca from the same line might, however, make for a more comfortable sleeping companion. A 6" Vader is now available for pre-order

10. Chewbacca and Disassembled C-3PO (Hasbro, 2006) - £3

Thanks to Hasbro's Galactic Heroes range of cheap and chunky 2" figures, two much-loved and highly collectible Star Wars characters can be yours for the price of a rip-off sandwich. Critics say that the figures are too stylised – "even the bad guys are cute" – but the toys are widely popular and some lines are already trading at inflated prices on eBay.