A box of already-played-with Star Wars toys is expected to sell at an auction near Chippenham for up to £1,400 next week.

Keen bidding from collectors from around the world is tipped by Wessex Auction Rooms at Draycot Cerne for the toy figures from the hit movies at the sale on Thursday and Friday.

The auction room’s first toy collector’s auction of the month will include more than 1,000 lots of diecast, model rail, model kits, metal soldiers, dolls, action figures and retro gaming.

The auction includes a collection 29 Star Wars lots that have come from the private collection of an ex-Palitoy employee.  The items, which include rare carded figures, vehicles and accessories, are expected to sell for thousands when they go under the hammer.

The star lot in the collection is a group of more than 100 “loose and playworn figures and accessories” which is estimated at £1,000-1,400.

“Star Wars is always one of the magic franchises when it comes to collectables,” said Tim Weeks, Wessex’s toy specialist.

He added: “Whether it is pristine carded figures that have never been opened, or boxed vehicles such as millennium falcons and X-Wings, our bidders around the world always get excited when the catalogues go live. 

“It often surprises customers when I tell them not to discard their playworn figures and accessories.  I hear horror stories of people throwing them in the bin because they have heard that things only have value if they are in their original boxes, but that simply isn’t the case.”