Star Trek memorabilia is as strong as ever 55 years since the show launched

Beam me up, Scotty! This is World Space Week, celebrated in over 95 nations throughout the world. Defined as ‘an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition’, Captain Kirk’s classic introduction immediately started replaying in my head: “Space: the final frontier”!

So this week we’re going to talk about the legend that is Star Trek, a vibrant collecting area since the original series launched in 1966. From that year’s original Star Trek AMT Enterprise model kit onwards, this is definitely a franchise that has been taking up its fair share of retail shelf space.

After more than five decades, fans continue to clamour for new and exciting items from across the final frontier, and fortuitously, every Star Trek reincarnation comes with its own galaxy-spinning plethora of merchandise, from models and figures to trading cards and lunchboxes.

With such a wide range, amount, and variability of quality merchandise, it is hard to say how much will be a good collecting investment, but there will always be a demand for rarities, oddities, and those quirky unforeseen items or characters which capture the public imagination. If that’s got you rooting about amongst your childhood toys, these are some of the best Star

Trek pieces to look out for: Star Trek Select Kirk and Spock figurines, McFarlane Toys Kirk and Picard, Starship Legends Anniversary Enterprise, Trek Tek TOS Communicator, QMx Star Trek Magnetic Badges, MEGO Retro Star Trek Figures.

These Star Trek books are a good example of a nice spin-off, which parents and children can enjoy together, in the centre priced £1 each. I also did a double-take at this fantastic boxed set of Barbie and Ken in their Star Trek incarnation! Produced in 1996 as a 30th anniversary Collector’s edition, it’s a great example of cross toy universe merchandise, and is available priced £75.

Genuine Star Trek props and costumes from the television series have the potential to fetch tens of thousands of pounds - or dollars, as they most often make the American market.

Capta0in Kirk’s phaser from ‘Wrath of Khan’ fetched $57,500 at auction, while his Starfleet uniform from the original Star Trek sold for $72,000.