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| Star Wars mystery solved by University of Nottingham's X-ray scanner | Star Wars mystery solved by University of Nottingham's X-ray scanner |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A man had a box containing a mystery Star Wars figure X-rayed by a university in the hope it was worth thousands of pounds. | A man had a box containing a mystery Star Wars figure X-rayed by a university in the hope it was worth thousands of pounds. |
| Toy collector Dave Moss, 40, bought the package online but did not want to open it in case he devalued what was inside. | Toy collector Dave Moss, 40, bought the package online but did not want to open it in case he devalued what was inside. |
| Mr Moss had his fingers crossed that the figure was a rare Boba Fett model, possibly worth as much as £5,000. | Mr Moss had his fingers crossed that the figure was a rare Boba Fett model, possibly worth as much as £5,000. |
| Unfortunately, the University of Nottingham scan revealed an Emperor Palpatine figure worth only about £30. | Unfortunately, the University of Nottingham scan revealed an Emperor Palpatine figure worth only about £30. |
| 'Completely pristine' | 'Completely pristine' |
| Special mail-away packages were sent to collectors in the late 1970s and early 1980s by Palitoy, a UK company, in exchange for tokens collected from the backs of Star Wars toys. | Special mail-away packages were sent to collectors in the late 1970s and early 1980s by Palitoy, a UK company, in exchange for tokens collected from the backs of Star Wars toys. |
| Mr Moss bought his boxed figure about five years ago for about £5. | Mr Moss bought his boxed figure about five years ago for about £5. |
| Rob Burman, from Nottingham, answered Mr Moss's call for help on YouTube in trying to find out the box's contents without opening the package. | Rob Burman, from Nottingham, answered Mr Moss's call for help on YouTube in trying to find out the box's contents without opening the package. |
| He said: "Every person who got one of these would have ripped it open looked inside, saw the model, played with it. This will be [probably] the only one completely pristine." | He said: "Every person who got one of these would have ripped it open looked inside, saw the model, played with it. This will be [probably] the only one completely pristine." |
| Mr Burman, who is also editor of The Collectors Gazette, took the box along to the university which has a machine that can study roots in soil without disturbing the plant. | |
| The machine, which has a digital detector to capture images, produced a 3D-picture of the Emperor Palpatine figure. | The machine, which has a digital detector to capture images, produced a 3D-picture of the Emperor Palpatine figure. |
| Mr Moss, who is from Somerset, said: "I'm slightly disappointed but it's still an amazing thing to have. | Mr Moss, who is from Somerset, said: "I'm slightly disappointed but it's still an amazing thing to have. |
| "A box that's never been opened and I do know what's in it. To me it's priceless. It's the centrepiece of my Star Wars collection." | "A box that's never been opened and I do know what's in it. To me it's priceless. It's the centrepiece of my Star Wars collection." |
| Both men had hoped the box contained a special rocket-firing Boba Fett, a much loved Star Wars character, which can sell for thousands of pounds. | Both men had hoped the box contained a special rocket-firing Boba Fett, a much loved Star Wars character, which can sell for thousands of pounds. |