Rancho Obi Wan boasts world’s largest Star Wars memorabilia collection
By Corey Smith
Steve Sansweet has the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia on the planet, and aims to share it with the whole world.
So you think your Star Wars collection is pretty legit? Held on to all those stormtrooper and Luke Skywalker figurines you got as a kid? Turns out, we all have nothing on super-collector Steve Sansweet.
Sansweet heads the non-profit organization Rancho Obi Wan in Petaluma, California, and has the museum to prove it. Rancho Obi Wan is a 9000 sq ft facility that boasts just about every bit of Star Wars memorabilia that has ever been made. Don’t feel too bad however, Steve is a former employee of Lucasfilm, so he might have had a little bit of an inside track on more than a few pieces of memorabilia.
Image Credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Incorporated as a non-profit charity in 2011, Rancho Obi Wan aims to serve the “public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of Star Wars memorabilia and artifacts, using the collection to provide meaningful educational, aesthetic, intellectual and cultural experiences to a wide array of audiences and to carry out other charitable and educational activities associated with this goal.” A goal I think we can all agree is of the utmost importance to society, because who doesn’t want to learn more about Star Wars toys?
Image Credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
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Star Wars merchandise has a particularly rich history compared to other major movie universes, from its inauspicious beginnings when there were virtually no toys available, to George Lucas’ legendary decision to take a pay cut in return for all merchandising rights. Fans have never lost their love of all things Star Wars, and Rancho Obi Wan is a perfect example of that continued love.
Tours can be booked through the website after you become a member of the museum, and tickets vary in price depending on who you want to lead the tour, a docent or Steve himself. Tours promise to be in-depth, and cover everything from action figures like the ones you can pick up at Toys “R” Us later this month, to the vast amount of screen used props currently owned by the museum.
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More information on Rancho Obi Wan can be found here.