THE NEXT time you’re short of a few quid it might be worth looking in the attic or snooping in those cardboard boxes at the back of the garage.

There’s a growing market for old toys – and Star Wars toys in particular.

Indeed, the real Star Wars success story is not the movies but the merchandising. At a conservative estimate, collectors and kids have spent more than $20 billion on Star Wars merchandising – five times more than the films have taken at the box office.

Although there had been movie tie-ins before, Star Wars took merchandising to a new level.

Did George Lucas know that he was sitting on a goldmine when he agreed to forgo a directing fee in exchange for ownership of the Star Wars licensing and merchandising rights? No one knows except Lucas, and he isn’t saying.

It certainly was a canny bit of business, the decision cost Twentieth Century Fox tens of millions in lost revenue since 1977.

The first toys were modest – and although they sold in huge numbers many of them were lost or destroyed, making them precious collector’s items.

But just how much is that Millennium Falcon worth? A mint condition FX-7 medical droid, valued at £50, went for a mind blowing £7,000 when it was auctioned by Teesside-based toys specialist Vectis Auctions. An Imperial Commander went for £3,000.

Read on for our list of the most valuable Star Wars toys:

Blue Snaggletooth (value approx £330) Rush released when Star Wars became an unexpected smash, the Cantina Adventure Playset featured four figures. In the haste to get the set into stores toymaker Sears painted Snaggletooth the wrong colour (blue) – creating an instant collectible.

Luke Skywalker  with double telescopic light sabre (£600+) Crazy as it sounds, no toy manufacturer wanted the licence to make Star Wars toys in 1976. When the film came out a year later they all scrambled to get toys into stores. Kenner – the first company to license Star Wars – rewarded fans will to speculate with an early bird pack featuring the first four figures. The pack included a rare Luke Skywalker model with a lightsabre which telescoped out of his fist. Later versions had a single piece lightsabre.

Han Solo with blaster (£600+):  One of the original dozen Kenner toys, this toy came in various versions but all of them are worth a packet today.

Boba Fett (£1,200+): Kenner were so sure of success with The Empire Strikes Back toy line-up they commissioned a model of Boba Fett before the film came out. Unfortunately, Boba’s rocket-firing backpack was a source of problems (executives feared it could be a choking hazard) and Boba’s arrival was delayed. Today, he is one of the most valuable of second wave  Star Wars figures.

Obi-Wan wi telescopic lightsabre (£4,000): Another of the original dozen toys. Has the same production headaches as the Luke character but fewer Obi-Wan models are in circulation. The Darth Vader model with the same lightsabre goes for a similar amount.

FX-7 Droid (£7,000): It only appeared on-screen for less than a minute but this little droid is very popular among collectors.

The Northern Echo:

Vinyl cape Jawa: One of the original 12, Kenner swapped the cape to a cloth version mid-way through the run making this a very rare toy. Maybe that’s why it’s supposedly worth nearly £16,000.

As ever, these are guide prices for mint condition toys in the original packaging.