What To Get A Star Wars Fan

It's not exactly hard to find Star Wars themed gifts. In fact, there's an embarassment of riches. So many that it can get confusing. We've narrowed down the field with this shortlist. Take a look, something just might be the perfect gift for your Star Wars fan.

Available from Amazon . Well, my friends, it has happened, those Star Wars cards we handling with soiled hands during the late seventies have become valuable collectables. Not that expensive you say? Maybe not, but how much was one of those cards back in the day? Cents. The mint card shown here is now 15 dollars. From cents to 15 dollars in under 40 years - that's collection-worthy appreciation.

The fact that this #81 Weapons of the Death Star! has been slabbed and graded by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) makes it all the more collectable. The slabbing is particularly advantageous. Condition is important and the slabbing guarantees that this card keeps it's mint condition - especially since you will be having his delivered. The protection afforded by slabbing will also protect the card when you keep it. Plus, it just looks better when graded and slabbed - a true collectable.

With Disney's purchase of the Star Wars universe from George Lucas (for 4 billion dollars no less), this card's value is just bound to just keep appreciating. Apart from that, any Star Wars fan would love to get a little piece of vintage Star Wars history like this.

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Not just Topps, I want to see ALL available Star Wars cards

Available from Amazon . As it says in the box you'll get ten packs of cards and one patch card. Each pack will have 16 cards. What's a patch card you ask? A patch card has an image of a Star Wars: The Force Awakens character on one side together with a small yet attractive patch. The other side of the card has a write up about the world of Star Wars. Having only one patch card in the entire box means that these cards are rather exclusive. There are only 20 distinct patch cards in a set with 110 cards. If you're more familiar with Magic the Gathering think of the Patch cards as Mythic Rares, Planeswalkers or Zendikar Expeditions (if what I just said blanked you out, never mind).

So what's with these Star Wars cards anyway? Point of fact: When you've seen and enjoyed the movie - or even when you're just about to see it - you want to own part of the Star Wars magic. And having these cards feels like that - like owning a piece of Star Wars. In this case it would be the latest in the series: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There are Topps cards for the previous movies, but those - especially Episode IV: A New Hope cards, are now rare and their prices reflect their rarity. Think about that when you break open these cards from the packs.

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Available from Amazon . Considering that the Star Wars saga now includes pre-Republic, Republic, Empire, and New Republic eras, there have been many starfighters. Even so, the X-Wing fighter remains the most recognizable. If you do have an X-Wing model and find it lacking in detail you're going to love that this one from Revell is nearly two feet long. Details abound so you'll be lifting this big model up just to look at all the painstaking detail. If you've always loved the X-Wing, clear some space because this one is something your going to be proud to display.

Fair warning, this is a Revell kit. Assembly is required. I don't know about you but I've spent hours lovingly assembling a lot of Revell's other models. If you're the type to consider creating an X-Wing rather than getting one fully assembled from the box then this is definitely for you.

In the world of Star Wars the X-Wing was originally designed by the Incom Corporation under the auspices of the Empire. The Incom people defected to the Rebel Alliance and took the design of the X-Wing with them, thus providing the rebels with their primary space interceptor fighter. The X-Wing, unlike their rival TIE fighters, had shields for the pilots - minimizing Rebel loses while the Empire refrained from fixing shields on their fighters in order to lighten weight and increase speed. In attack or 'X' mode four blasters on the wing tips give the X-Wing a large field of fire. Two proton torpedo launchers are also present. Perhaps the most famous feature of X-Wings are the R2 units that help fly the starfighter. The X-Wings continued to be improved well into the New Republic era.

If you've always wanted one, now is the time to treat yourself - or someone you care for - to the Star Wars starfighter.

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Available from Amazon . If you're going to get this poster do yourself a favor and spend a bit more to frame it. There's a very real temptation to tape or (gasp!) pin it to your wall and leave it like that. I understand that your excitement for "The Force Awakens" will wane and you'll probably - after some time - be going to be getting rid of this poster. The movie is hot now but it won't be hot forever. Point taken. Still. If you frame this, you'll be less likely to throw it away, since a framed poster under glass simply looks nice, and, more importantly, this poster captures your current enthusiasm for this movie. And in the future, when all the hoopla has died down, just looking at this picture will bring back the memory and the feeling of watching "The Force Awakens" for the first time - memory you'll want to keep. A poster is a great way to "trap" the good vibes you feel about a movie. But it will only work if the poster will weather the years, that's why you should take the time to protect it.

With that in mind, I recommend this particular version of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster since it is a high definition version - if you're going to keep one for the long haul it might as well be the best.

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Available from Amazon . This is a stein or beer mug. Whether you're actually going to be drinking beer from off one of these is up to you. I'd just shelve it myself. This would look good on its own or as part of a Star Wars stein collection.

The design is Boba Fett's Mandalorian Battle Armor. It's one of the best designed Star Wars armors if not the best, it even looks great as a mug. This formidable armor was made specifically to go up against the Jedi. Boba Fett inherited his from his father, Django Fett - who was the basis for every Clone Trooper in the Star Wars universe.

This beautiful piece is part of a Star Wars set and the entire set is officially licensed by Disney, owners of the Star Wars franchise which they bought from Lucasfilms for a whopping four billion bucks. Did I say 'whopping'? Not really, considering the earning potential of Star Wars. Anyway, prepare to receive a delightfully big mug, nine inches tall and able to hold 22 ounces of your favorite brew. After all, what's better than watching Star Wars? Watching Star Wars while nursing a cold one one that's what. As the maker's of these mugs say: May the froth be with you!

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I want to see more Star Wars memorabilia

Available from Amazon . Lithography is a form of art creation where the image is first etched on a mold, a lithographic limestome was used during the early days of lithography, these days aluminum is the favored material. The image would then be pressed on paper or cloth. Because it is a form of printing, it is possible to produce a lithographic work in limitless quantity. In the case of fine art pieces, it is possible but not advisable since limiting the run increases the attraction of the piece. Such is the case with this lithograph showing Princess Leia and Jaba the Hutt. Only 295 pieces of these have been made, each one with a certificate of authenticity. Don't misplace the certificate, it is every bit as important as the work itself since it ensures that you've got the real thing.

Looking at the Star Wars movies so far, this is Princess Leia at her sexiest. Unfortunately she's in dire straits, having been enslaved by Jabba the Hutt. If you take a closer look at Leia's face, she's in obvious distress. Still, she cuts an alluring form chains or no chains. The piece is twenty inches across and 16 inches high and will be delivered rolled. One other very important point, this piece was officially licensed by Lucasfilms (and therefore also by the current owner of the franchise, Disney). A solid and attractive addition to your Star Wars collection.

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Available from Amazon . Star Wars Stormtroopers are iconic, I doubt if there is a comics convention of respectable size that doesn't have at least a couple of them marching around. The Snowtroopers are less recognizable and therein lies the value-added of this Premium Format Figure. The Snowtrooper is less common and will therefore tend to stand out. The quality of this piece is another plus. As you can see Snowtroopers, arctic Stormtroopers really, have both goggles and distinctive breathing masks. The belt, pouches and kama skirt are made of fabric. The Snowtroooper carries another iconic piece - the E-11 Blaster. He is standing on is an Ektoan Class 4T3 Power Generator. This limited edition figure is an officially licensed Star Wars item.

The first clones served as the first Stormtroopers fighting for the Republic. Under the Galactic Empire the Stormtroopers transitioned from clones to natural beings. It is a testament to Django Fett - the template for all clone troopers - that as natural beings replaced clones Stormtrooper effectiveness went down a bit. Contrary to popular belief, the Stormtroopers were not the common soldiers of the Empire - they were elite troops. I write this with some amusement since Stormtroopers have become famous as soldiers whom you can count on to miss every target they aim at - a reputation that comes from the early Star Wars films. Snowtroopers are nothing more but Stormtroopers modified for cold climes. Insulated suits, heated breathing apparatus, reinforced boots and survival backpacks are some of the modifications done to change Stormtrooper to Snowtrooper.

I want to see other Star Wars collectables

Available from Amazon . When Emperor Palpatine decided to further the plans of the Sith by destroying the Republic and creating the Empire he also inadvertently created a Star Wars universe that was was a great basis for a chess game. Empire vs. Rebels very easily translates into Black vs. White on the board. It isn't a perfect translation though. Both sides in a chess game start with the same number of forces and the power balance on both sides is also equal. Not so in Star Wars where nearly all assets belong to the Empire, and the power that comes with it. The Rebels must make do with what little they have, stealth and speed their primary weapons.

For purposes of enhancing a Star Wars collection, this chess set is a striking display piece. I would suggest taking it out of the box and laying it out like the picture above. Whether it's on a display case with other Star Wars memorabilia or on a table top, the effect of having these Star Wars figures as a chess set will be quite desirable for a Star Wars collection provided it is displayed correctly (make sure your collection display doesn't look cluttered).

This set is also a wonderful teaching tool for young chess players. The fact that the Chess pieces are Star Wars characters could add that aspect of fun that would keep their attention while they learn this game of strategy that has been popular for nearly a thousand years.

Whether you've come for chess, or Star Wars, or the striking visual impact of this set, Star Wars Chess is definitely worth your consideration.

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Available from Amazon . The title says it all, Ultimate Star Wars is just that. The most complete resource on Star Wars so far. It can't possibly be everything since the Star Wars story continious to grow in two ways. It is expanding and deepening. The movies serve to deepen the story with every new movie adding wonderful detail. Expansion happens with books and comicbooks where thousands of years of timeline has already been defined, waiting for animated series and movies to deepen and give life to the tale.

Years from now, when more have been added to the Star Wars storyline and Ultimate Star Wars is no longer a comprehensive reference it will still be a valuable piece of Star Wars memorabilia - a true collectable. Even more valuable really since age will bring rarity. From the enjoyment standpoint you and anybody else will still surely love this book. DK has a long history of successfully producing these Star Wars books and their highly visual presentation style is an absolute joy to go through. My personal favorite is anything that has to do with the vehicles of Star Wars, from the Sandspeeder to the Star Destroyer and the hundreds of vehicles in between. I want to know everything! And Ultimate Star Wars delivers. Best of all, information about vehicles is just a subset of the information in Ultimate Star Wars. If a Star Wars fan wants to know more about it - it's here.

Ever wanted the Star Wars universe (so far) in the palm of your hand? Here's your chance.

I want to see more Star Wars books