Starting Friday, fans attending Celebration III were privileged to the first in an unprecedented array of collecting panels which cover everything from action figures and trading cards to autographs and comic books. Uber-collector Gus Lopez has brought in some of the most knowledgeable and seasoned collectors from around the world to share their collections, rare finds, stories and advice, with each panel followed by a general Q&A with audience members.

In addition, fans attending this weekend's collecting panels will all receive a custom collector card for each panel they attend, making a full set quite a hot commodity. Many thanks to Jeff Correll for designing these exceptional card collectibles, and to Todd Chamberlain for driving the process to bring all the items together.

Star Wars Posters
Starting things off, collector Pete Vilmur opened the day's line-up with Star Wars Posters, a popular but largely undocumented hobby that gets some much needed exposure this fall in an upcoming book he's co-authored with expert Steve Sansweet called The Star Wars Poster Book. Covering the history of the U.S. theatrical campaign first with some examples of original artwork and concepts, Vilmur then went into the often striking and unusual posters found on the international scene. Myths and lore surrounding posters like the infamous Star Wars concert poster were scrutinized, and audience members were given a crash course on detecting poster phonies. Finally, the magic of poster restoration was effectively displayed with a side-by-side comparison of before-and-after photos featuring a battered but rare Japanese Panasonic poster of Darth Vader, which fans are able to view in person throughout the weekend at the Art of Ralph McQuarrie booth in the Exhibit Hall.

Strange and Comical Star Wars Collectibles
Next up, collector Duncan Jenkins shared some of the strange and wacky items that have found their way into his personal collection, revealing the kitsch among the cache of Star Wars collectibles. Here, fans were treated to the irrepressible Star Wars Underoos line, the skewed humor of ILM crew t-shirt graphics, Japanese fuzzy Vader slippers, the Ewok Ice Capades extravaganza, bunny alien Star Wars comic book covers, and even the recent Darth Tater Potato Head toy and German Star Wars toilet paper. With Star Wars' long and storied merchandising history, this panel really had the crowd scratching their heads wondering how some of this stuff actually got approved (Darth Tater is the obvious exception here, since his worthiness is unanimously indisputable).

Star Wars Cereal Collecting
Launching the Food Collectibles track of panels, collector Gus Lopez discussed the long history Star Wars has shared with everyone's favorite comfort food: breakfast cereal. With over 1,000 boxes from 70 different countries alone, Star Wars cereal collecting has taken on a life of its own, steeped in nostalgia with a fair dose of kitsch appeal thrown in. Lopez opened with several examples from the early General Mills era of the late '70s, which included the legendary Boo Berry, Count Chocula, and Crazy Cow varieties with in-pack stickers. Collectors learned that two variations of kites, a tumbler, paper gliders, and posters were all available as premiums with these early cereals, which are actually easier to find than the cereal boxes themselves. An unbelievable amount of international varieties were also exhibited, culminating in the classic era's U.S./Canadian exclusive C-3PO's by Kellogg's in 1984. The diminutive Canadian mini-box variation is among the rarest of Star Wars cereal collectibles.

Kellogg's would usher in the new era of Star Wars cereal collecting in 1995 with a handful of premium mail-in offers for an action figure, video, comic, and more. Since then, Kellogg's has produced scores of varieties for both domestic and international markets, with Episode III's Corn Flakes and other products filling out the cramped shelf space surrounding Lopez's home breakfast table. Fans can view Lopez's extensive Star Wars cereal collection among his Bobacabana-sized collection of other Star Wars items displayed at his website www.toysrgus.com.

Star Wars Fast Food Collectibles
Mike Mensinger and Todd Chamberlain carried the breakfast discussion into the lunch hour with a look at the vast array of Star Wars fast food collectibles that have been gobbled up by collectors since 1977. Beginning with a modest set of four posters from a restaurant chain called Burger Chef in 1977, Star Wars fast food collectibles has become a major collecting focus of many. Chamberlain and Mensinger discussed how this early promotion began a cascade of related campaigns from Burger Chef and then Burger King, who got into the Star Wars swing in 1978 releasing a similar quartet of posters and a highly collectible set of drinking glasses. The real treat of the presentation, however, was the multitude of original restaurant displays that many fans probably haven't seen since the days of buying a 29-cent soda with their Whopper back in the late '70s. The Empire Strikes Back continued the poster/drinking glasses quartet promotions in 1980, only this time Burger King would be going solo. For Return of the Jedi, the posters were out but a cool set of four more glasses were offered, giving fans a total of 12 glasses to sip from in Star Wars style.

Fast forwarding to 1995, Pizza Hut Australia revitalized Star Wars fast food collectibles with a set of four classic trilogy figurines. In 1997, Star Wars finally returned to U.S. restaurants with Star Wars Special Edition promotions through Taco Bell, a partnernship which led to a series of posters and cup toppers two years later for Episode I.

To explore more of Mensinger's and Chamberlain's collections, check out their websites at www.kennersuperpowers.com/firststatestarwars.html and www.toychamber.com.

Star Wars Food Collectibles: Everything Else!
Duncan Jenkins returned to cover the territory left in the wake of cereal and fast food premiums, which included a hoard of culinary collectibles from around the world: Soda bottle caps, cans, and packaging; yogurt containers from Spain, England, and the U.S.; ice cream confections; ceramic cake toppers from France; what appeared to be fully intact candy bars from 1977 touting early Star Wars jewelry; and the biggest crowd pleaser--an early "Sundown Supper" frozen TV dinner with Star Wars offer and Jolly Pop inside! But the fun wasn't over yet -- there were still cookies, cheeses, PEZ dispensers, vitamins, breads, bottled water, and a taste of what fans can expect from Episode III's promotional partners, Pepsi, Kellogg's, and Frito Lay.

Star Wars Trading Cards
Collector Cathy Kendrick presented fans with a history of Star Wars trading cards, a hobby which includes many types of collectible cardboard images from around the world. Kendricks discussed the different types of cards available, including traditional trading cards, product promotionals, store promotionals, convention cards, and bootlegs. Starting with an overview of the earliest Topps sets from the classic trilogy, she ventured into the netherworld of international collector cards with examples from Spain, England, and Japan. Star Wars trading cards enjoyed a boost in popularity in 1993 with the release of the first of three Star Wars Galaxy card series, which featured full color imagery on both sides of the cards -- a Star Wars first. Another spike came with the advent of Widevision trading cards, which perfectly suited the epic scope of the Star Wars imagery. Probably one of the most amusing aspects of the presentation was the bootleg cards Kendricks shared from Greece -- oddly, the poor print quality and exotic appearance of these cards make them irresistible to diehard Star Wars card collectors. Of course, this was the only presentation where audience members got to take home a collectible directly related to the panel discussion -- one of 21 cards printed up exclusively for members attending the Star Wars collecting panels! For more details about Star Wars trading cards, fans can visit Kendrick's website at www.starwarscards.net.

Collecting 101
Collectors Ron Salvatore, Chris Georgoulias, and Martin Thurn headed up Collecting 101, a starter course for newbies to the hobby with some good tips for advanced collectors as well. This informative presentation opened by offering the time-honored sage advice for new collectors: collect what you like. The panelists advised to start off small to determine what your interests are, and to consider areas of collecting that are original and not necessarily mainstream. They discussed the importance of finding a collecting focus--an advantage to the cash-strapped collector who just can't afford it all. Some examples were offered: cereal boxes, Kenner Micro Collection toys, C-3PO items, etc. Finding reference material to learn about a particular collecting interest was encouraged, as was establishing a network of fellow collectors and dealers to act as virtual eyes and ears in the field. Finally, the realities of living with one's Star Wars collection were discussed, revealing hard-earned truths about the practical issues of collecting: strains on finances, space, and family life. All agreed, however, that the greatest side benefit to collecting is the friendships gained through the adventure of the hunt.

Preserving Your Star Wars Collection
Collectors Josh Ling and Todd Chamberlain reviewed ways to preserve collectibles and guard against the ravages of time and handling. Opening with a checklist of top offenders to collectibles, those that made the list included temperature fluctuation, moisture, light, dust, cigarette smoke, and pests. The panelists then outlined methods to safeguard against each of these conditions, usually involving a means to keep the damaging elements at bay. A helpful array of sources and products were offered, such as acid free sleeves for paper items, special transparent cases for action figures, large flat file cabinets for posters, and special custom products for virtually everything else. Finally, those interested in insuring their collection were given a brief but informative tutorial.

Displaying Your Star Wars Collectibles
Star Wars Fan Club President Lisa Stevens and friend Vic Wertz gave an informative presentation on effective ways to showcase collections in interesting ways. Stevens and Wertz had gathered images from the collections of a handful of top collectors, each demonstrating unique ways to exhibit their finds. First, easy and economic strategies were discussed, which included the obvious book shelves and display cases. Then other possibilities were explored, such as the use of retail fixtures, including glass gondolas, slat walls, floor displays, and t-shirt racks. Advanced methods of display, such as framing posters and showcasing special pieces in acrylic cases, were exemplified with some pretty exceptional collectibles: original production blueprints, vintage Kenner packaging mock-ups, and the original Death Star prop model! Further advanced display methods included theming out rooms with customized Star Wars architecture and costumed mannequins. Some stunning examples were shared from the panelists' own collection as well as those of Steve Sansweet, Gus Lopez, and Philip Wise.

Audience members were finally treated to a virtual tour of the ultimate Star Wars home theater, designed by prequel concept artist Doug Chiang and built as an addition to Stevens' and Wertz's home. Fans were shown how this amazing home theater had taken shape from the original drawings through actual construction, culminating in a final interior that dropped pretty much every jaw in the house. Many fans left wondering just how much space they might be able to squeeze out of their own backyard real estate to build their own Star Wars dream theater.