Inside a room the shop calls Castle Grayskull, behind glass, sits one of only 27 graded and authenticated rocket-firing Boba Fett figures in existence. The owner of Dallas Vintage Toys walks through the graded room, shelf by shelf, in a tour that reads like a childhood wish list.

“Here we are in Castle Grayskull, our graded room,” he says, and he introduces some of his favorite pieces and newest arrivals.

The shop buys, sells and trades, and the owner says it is “always buying from the public every single day.” Here is what is on those shelves.

The Rocket-Firing Boba Fett Is One Of Only 27

The star of the room is the rocket-firing Boba Fett. “There are only 27 graded and authenticated rocket-firing Boba Fetts,” the owner says.

Next to it is a double-telescoping Luke Skywalker, carded on a 12-back. The shop also has two other Boba Fetts, one graded AFA 80 and one AFA 85, and both are 21-backs.

A Canadian pyramid 12-back Ben Kenobi graded AFA 85 is the highest grade of its kind. There is also a Boba Fett on a Return of the Jedi card, a Droids Boba Fett and a prototype coin from before the Power of the Force line, with a certificate of authenticity.

The Early Bird Certificate That Started It All

The owner points to the early bird certificate, “what started it all,” graded 80 plus. Buyers were promised figures that showed up in the mail several months later.

Three vinyl cape Jawas remain, two from the US and one from Toltoys in Australia. The Australian version has plastic that is a little greener, the owner explains, with limbs that tend to show plastic degradation.

There are also the first Star Wars figures. He counts ten out of the first twelve on a 12-back, and five of six bounty hunters, missing only Boba Fett to complete the Revenge of the Jedi proof card set.

Sealed Snake Mountain And A Mattel Employee Easter Egg

He grew up with He-Man, so a factory sealed Snake Mountain playset, in just last week, means a lot to him. It is the second one the shop has had this year.

A Mattel collection came from a woman who worked at Mattel for 34 and a half years. The owner calls it “a Mattel employee Easter egg” that is very hard to get from employees.

There is a sealed Death Star space station, and the shop got two in the last month. A Mattel Shogun Warrior Godzilla just arrived with no cracks, a firing fist and the red lever intact, and he says those are usually broken or cracked.

G.I. Joe, Transformers And Turtles Move Fast

The owner grew up on G.I. Joe, He-Man, Mask and Lego. His shelves show it, with Cobra figures like Night Viper, Heat Viper and Destro, and a Snow Cat that the shop restocked after selling one a month ago.

A Target two-pack with Muskrat and Voltar is one he does not remember seeing at Target. A 1985 Snake Eyes with Timber sits next to Storm Shadow.

The shop has a few Transformers left, which “have been moving like hotcakes.” There is also a stack of Ninja Turtles, including some proof cards.

Beyond toys, he shows the complete run of Garbage Pail Kids series 1 through 15, including buttons, posters and jumbo cards. A micro Millennium Falcon graded AFA 85 is, in his words, “a super hard piece again in high grade.”

A Kenny Baker Story At A Fan Expo

One carded R2-D2 with a pop-up lightsaber is signed by Kenny Baker, the man inside the droid. The owner remembers holding a restroom door open at a fan expo years ago for someone walking by, and it turned out to be Baker.

He says he may still have a photo of Baker at his booth back in the 1990s. “He’s a super friendly guy.”

Childhood Memories Behind The Glass

The owner links many pieces to personal stories. As a boy at Lakewood Elementary School, he went to a friend’s house and saw an older brother’s B-wing fighter. It was pre-internet, so toys like that were hard to find. When he turned the little engine on the back, the wings popped up, and the cockpit rotated.

“Never seen anything like that,” he says. He offered to buy or trade for it, but it never happened. Another memory is from East Texas, where his grandparents lived, and he believes that is where he bought Heat Viper.

How To Shop Or Sell At A Vintage Toy Store

The owner explains what readers can do. Stop by Wednesday through Sunday, 11 to 6, to talk toys. He also mentions layaway, and if there is something you want, you can put it on layaway or trade.

• Items not yet on the website can be asked about by phone or in person.
• Bigger items tend to carry more damage, so grading matters, especially on pieces more than 40 years old.
• Check for unique details like error cards, such as a Cyclone Robotto switched on the back.
• The shop always buys from the public, so bring your collection in to talk.

“Let’s talk some toys,” he says at the end.

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