SEALED VHS Tapes: The Next Big Thing to Collect?!

[@brodi81]

As a VHS collector, and an avid user on /r/VHS, Let me say this. Only a few of us actually believed this was a graded thing and we knew it was a collectors estate issue from the actor who played Biff. None of us are buying in to the Disney Black Diamond shit and graded sealed tapes are a joke in our community. Basically, 80's horror movies are our passion and that's truly causing an influx in our hobby. However, we're still getting tapes less than $100, and generally complain when we have to pay $30 a tape for a rare 80's horror movie. Songs of the South non-repros will cost you a bit, but because that's the only real Disney tape that's worth any money, but there's plenty of repros out there that you can get for +$30. Honestly, the most expensive tapes are sealed blanks to copy newer movies on to VHS that we can create box art for. If there's a market for anything VHS, it goes in this order: VHS tapes of 90's toons with commercials, 80's horror, and then solid blank tapes.

[@elsieoneill6181]

Looking at the backs of horror vhs tapes in rental stores was a beautifully horrific time in my life.

[@reallyretro]

I just started collecting old sealed WWF VHS tapes, but I have no desire to get them graded. These are just mainly for me to sit and stare at for my own enjoyment.

[@Vlad-bu3mr]

exactly what collecting is for, just having a beer looking at it and going "ahhhhhhh I know this is pointless but I love it"

[@DerekDomino71]

You are collecting for the right reason.

[@juicyfruit6311]

Always had a fondness for those Colosseum Home Video releases in the puffy box.

[@reallyretro]

@@juicyfruit6311 Yes, and they are highly collectible especially sealed 😁

[@Vlad-bu3mr]

@@juicyfruit6311 oh yeah the big boxes I have a load of them mainly horror videos from various video shops when they used to sell the film once it had been hired out a lot so had made the money and was just sitting on the shelfs

[@InfiniCalendar]

There was an old episode of Pawn Stars where a guy tried to sell Sammy Davis, Jr.‘s VHS collection. They didn’t want it.

[@salvagemonster3612]

That would have been interesting. Seeing as he had invested in some vhs production company that apparently made some particular niche movies for very discerning viewers.

[@meatpockets]

I can see sealed movies where there are no releases on DVD or Blu-Ray being valuable but that’s about it…

[@ErikZarth]

The only one I could think of is The Keep (1983) which I believe only came out on VHS and Laser Disc.

[@zackschilling4376]

That would make sense, but the increased value would be on an open copy ,too. I know some collectors want the best version of an item, but they may want to watch it, too.

[@Clay3613]

@@ErikZarth It got released internationally in WS on DVD recently.

[@flannus]

I’m an avid VHS collector but one of the biggest appeals is they tend to be nice and cheap with the exception of new releases, and even then they’re usually reasonably priced. Finding sealed tapes is fun but unless it has legit sentimental value I won’t spend much on it

[@ColeslawVariant]

That's why I started collecting music cd's. Got way too many and sold them. Actually made more than I spent.

[@labnine3362]

Unfortunately, these greedy opportunists are going to ruin your hobby like people did with vinyl records. I used to buy them for $3. Now, some of the go for hundreds of dollars. Ridiculous and sad.

[@575forza]

Dear God no. Enjoy your childhood again by removing the exact thing you used to do back then! I remember going to the video store, renting a video game and a movie, getting home and just staring at both on my shelf. The feels!

[@chinpokomon418]

Ur

[@canibaloxide]

VHS is my main as a collector. Seeing a lot of new people showing up in the tape groups on Facebook trying to sell their common tapes that are worth $.50 for hundreds if not thousands and seeing them get destroyed in the comments is pretty fun.

[@DerekDomino71]

As an old school member of some of those groups, it sure is entertaining to watch. They come in thinking they have gold and leave with their tail between their legs.

[@WillyWooly]

If it goes anything like NES, those 50 cents will go for 3 dollars next year. That’s huge growth!

[@zachamos7537]

I’ve got a copy of song of the south 😏

[@porynog]

drink everytime you see a post of someone who falls for those old clickbait articles about common Disney tapes being worth tens of thousands

[@davidokelly1140]

Same! Newcomers that enter the VHS scene are mostly unfamiliar with different releases, prints and the list of things to look for when a tape is sealed to verify it's factory seeled. VHS is my jam and I love watching them! I

[@canibaloxide]

What I see a lot of people not getting is what most VHS collectors actually value. The highest value tapes I know of are cult/horror movies that were shot on video and independently released. Titles like star wars and Ghostbusters etc are common and worthless sealed or otherwise

[@DerekDomino71]

Not to mention many of these ignorant commenters don't understand that many of these VHS movies have still not been released on other formats. Tons of great movies that you can only watch on tape.

[@Airola]

In Finland we are seeing people pay quite a bit of money for some mainstream classics, if they are the older rental tapes. Finnish Star Wars rental tapes go for hundreds of euros. Alien, Aliens and Ghostbusters 1 are quite valuable too as rental tapes. I've also seen old British ex-rentals for movies like Die Hard going for 20-30 pounds or so for British collectors. I think it's about shelf collecting. They look good on a shelf with the big boxes and bigger cover art.

[@bandersnatchbigfootexplore549]

Exactly on point, I couldn’t even fathom a copy of ghostbusters sealed selling for 10000 dollars while it’s difficult to sell a copy of 555 for 1000 and that’s one of the most sought after shot on video vhs tapes ever made.

[@ParallelUniversity]

@@DerekDomino71 The collectors who buy sealed VHS and get them graded and slabbed are never going to crack them open and watch them. Sealed collectors want to own the best example of the item, but have no interest in using it. They are completely different than the people who only collect to watch them

[@retroroughriders4579]

yeah pat failed to mention this he just pontificates and talks out of his ass. WORTHLESS WORTHLESS. Even though its the same gimmick he did with collecting retro titles, knew what he was looking for and some were worthless, same just like with VHS.

[@thegerm574]

Pat comparing movie theater quality to VHS is like comparing an NES game to the arcade version of the same game they’re just not comparable.

[@PaulWerkema]

I remember VHS fondly, but the memories I have are recording MST3K and other movies to a blank VHS.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

this is true for me too. It was really great to record stuff and watch later whenever I wanted.

[@zackschilling4376]

A VHS recording I treasured was my late night recording of MTV's The State marathon I woke up to at like 1 am and was able to record a few hours of it. My friends and I watched the hell outta this tape cuz The State wasnt available anywhere. But years later when it did get a home release, it didnt have the music the original broadcast did as when it played on MTV. I guess they had a blanket license to play all the different music that was currently on rotation in music videos, etc. It was a huge difference as certain songs worked very well with the show, and it was a huge glaring hole to not have those songs on the DVD release. Im sure all the licensing for that music is an arm and a leg now opposed to when MTV had the license to play that music for promotional purposes, etc. So a bootleg version (or a mashed up version of the DVD video with a bootleg recording of the audio of someone who knows what they re doing could take out the soundalike and put in a CD/clean recording of the music) is the superior version to watch.

[@TiVo67]

Another knock against VHS is that most are cropped to fit a 4:3 screen so you’re not getting the actual movie as it was intended to be seen. Unless you get a widescreen version which aren’t as common & weren’t made for every film scenery and characters are gonna be cut out of the frame. Even with a widescreen version you have a much smaller viewing area.

[@SionynJones]

Yeah unbelievable anyone would think an inferior obsolete video system would have any value especially mass-produced video tapes.

[@labnine3362]

Commercial, pre-recorded widescreen VHS tapes were very common.

[@Sir_Maximus_Hardwood]

the tape inside them degrades over time too

[@calumryan6328]

some would call that a feature, not a bug. It's basically something unique to VHS tapes (and I guess movies that are broadcast onto square TVs)

[@johnmickey5017]

@@labnine3362 yeah, losing even more picture quality in the process since the whole thing is still formatted for 4:3 with black bars. A functional big terrible format.

[@paynefullytwisted8752]

20:57 Pat has a mass approximately 270 times that of an electron?

[@kylekeown3967]

Friend's family owned a video store. He gave me a sealed "Return of the Living Dead" tonight.

[@malkneil]

Not sure I understand why the fact that Tom Wilson owned this copy for a time makes it more valuable? Is it signed by him? Does it come with some COA that says he owned it for a period of time? Kinda strange. Kinda like George Costanza buying what he thought to be John Voight's car.

[@AlexxxPerales]

Lol. Yup. It's just a story. But that's all it takes. Some people like a good story. Even if the story is just "a famous guy once owned it" that's worth a little bit but not no dam 50k+

[@jordanhoughton1948]

Maybe Tom Wilson's teeth marks are on it! Lol!

[@BRBMrSoul]

XD that’s a great example

[@jamiepike6909]

This is for people who missed out on all the other get rich quick schemes. God know what’s next. Graded cans of soda?

[@mjesus850]

Im personally gonna start grading cellophane right off the assembly line. If sealed plastic on games makes you so rich imagine investing right at the source, The plastic itself. time to buy a yacht

[@Wyattoons]

That sadly might be one of the next ones. Some people love to collect Coca-Cola cans and merch, and plus there have been tons of promo cans for movies and stuff over the years.

[@jamiepike6909]

@@mjesus850 I like it😂

[@jamiepike6909]

@@Wyattoons was trying to think of something that wasn’t graded that people collect. It’s a vey small list😂

[@tedlogan5628]

I do have a 6-Pack of Unopened Crystal Pepsi from the 90’s. Are you saying a $500 “Buy It Now” is too much?! 😂

[@kchrules775]

I’m so glad I did the bulk of my VHS and Laserdisc (that’s next I guarantee) collecting years ago. This is gonna turn into people dumping their life savings into “the original Star Wars Episode 4” on VHS. There are actual rare releases of cult movies and “rental” vhs tapes that go for maybe $100. Market is gonna get real stupid real fast

[@philipcohen7192]

I think there is nostalgia for vhs tapes. I don’t see there being nostalgia for laserdisc but you never know.

[@retroroughriders4579]

yup thanks to stupid youtubers hyping vhs. More so some are collecting cause of the physical media factor, and cheap AF for tapes.

[@harrysboy]

Was hoping you guys would do a video on this. Alarm bells set off when I heard Heritage auctions were behind it. These are huge sums for VHS videos, yet how do we know there aren't hundreds of these things out there already?

[@SionynJones]

Exactly.

[@BoyandHorse]

Once they are in the acrylic the tape could be anything. People are paying money for shrink wrapped cardboard covers.

[@harrysboy]

@@BoyandHorse it's even worse than that, as the guys said the seal is the most important part of the grading, so people are basically paying big money for whichever shrink-wrap has lasted longest. Was controversy recently about fake Ultima games that didn't even contain the correct game. These could very well have blank VHS' inside

[@CinemaATTACKS]

-A sealed copy of Star Wars, advertised as a 1st edition, sold for around $60k through Goldin auctions this past February. Two other Star Wars tapes sold for around the same price since December through Goldin, coincidentally. All 3 were graded by VHSDNA, which is the company owned by Cole "Mr. VHS", who has a direct relationship with Goldin (that video referenced is hosted on the Goldin KZbin channel). Crucially, at least 1 of those Star Wars "1st editions" is actually a 2nd edition.

[@willnox1]

I remember when VHS tapes were 50-100 $ if you wanted it. I ran my Terminator and T2 until they broke lol

[@andrew1435]

It's crazy what people will waste their money on. Sealed VHS tapes? Really? Might as well just throw your money in the garbage.

[@rc_matic]

VHS collecting is sad.

[@andrew1435]

@@rc_matic Nothing wrong with collecting them if you get enjoyment out of it. What's wrong is spending absurdly high amounts of money on sealed ones.

[@rc_matic]

@@andrew1435 it’s sad because there is no reason to collect them. You can get just about everything on a better format. They take up a ton of space. My litmus test for sad collecting: if coworkers came over and see your collection of vhs, games, etc, what would their response be?

[@mattjazzfan2288]

@@rc_matic if someone gets a nostalgic kick out of watching movies on VHS, I think that’s perfectly fine. I watched a factory sealed tape of Forrest Gump and even though bluray obviously looks better, vhs tapes that aren’t previously used actually look pretty good. I agree with you though that it’s a little sad if people wast too much money on them

[@575forza]

Annnnd people forget when a movie was a new release, unlike video games, there were walls full of said movie at the store. They made milllllllions of the heavy hitters. Its not like the one copy of a Saturn game that never got rented and now is worth a fortune.

[@rabiroden]

Years ago there were articles about the ~super rare and valuable~ "black diamond" version of Beauty and the Beast that people were trying to hawk for thousands of dollars, despite nobody actually bidding on them. People are still trying apparently. I picked up a sealed one at the thrift store last year, just for the novelty. Maybe I can actually trick some rich guy into giving me a lot of money for it now...

[@BRBMrSoul]

Way things going, more likely than not and imo be a slight win over the corps manipulating this. Least a real collector make some money for once lol

[@CousinHubertRetrogaming]

I collect japanese VHD movies (movies on vinyl) they're pretty neat!

[@khiclark31]

Never heard of VHS on vinyl. Neat

[@sirdudebrian4026]

No they’re not

[@_Thrackerzod]

@@khiclark31 VHD, it was a format similar to CED discs. They were played using a stylus similar to a vinyl record. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_High_Density

[@Clay3613]

@@khiclark31 Techmoan did an incredible series on it.

[@Clay3613]

Someone needs to copy all of those specialty video magazine titles.

[@AkAkAkNeil]

VHS is the perfect sealed, wallhanger collectable. Because you'd never want to play the tape, it's purely a collectable object.

[@magicknight8412]

Basically collectors of something that nobody touches with a barge pole anymore decides they need to create a market and suddenly give their collection value. It will be music cassettes or DVDs next !

[@9023gregb]

I somehow was able to rent the VHS tape "Nail Gun Massacre" as a kid. I've looked for the tape online and it seems quite rare and valuable. You're right about VHS though,, very few redeeming qualities.

[@kyleroxxx]

That’s a legit priced one. Difficult to find.

[@BRBMrSoul]

Too bad that movie isn’t even worth it xD Not trying diss your hobby but I know that movie it is objectively terrible…tho is a charm to that too I suppose

[@devilmikey00]

I will say this about VHS, I think there is a unique experience to be had with them when it comes to 80's horror movies. That grainy, low res image does a lot for setting a mood and covering up the rough edges that are plain to see in a 4k transfer. For instance The Thing on VHS is my favorite way to watch that movie. The already incredible practical effects just look more convincing when the image is grainy and ugly.

[@gunplaygaming6830]

try watching it on blu ray lol it’s pretty good . vhs is a crap format.

[@steveharvey2102]

Agreed. Also, Texas Chainsaw massacre 1974 on VHS can look like a snuff film if you have an old copy. It adds to the creep factor. Cheers

[@najeebbaroody6669]

I have the first vhs release of Jusassic Park that is still sealed.

[@bryanjensen2614]

I bought a sealed copy of Hudson Hawk, I'll never open it I just sit and stare and imagine what it would have been like to waste my time watching it at home.

[@wanderingidiot9742]

Having my several hi-8 tapes become white noise after returning from a particular combat zone was odd. Trend won’t last. Archival media is that for a reason

[@infernogott]

Does it really matter what is inside the box as long as it's sealed? It's never gonna be opened anyway, so if it has a big name like Back to the Future attached to it, it doesn't really matter if it's a game, vhs, dvd, etc.

[@farts6499]

The reason I collect old video games is that many of them aren't available on later generation consoles. That's not the case with VHS.

[@ashleyschfer7483]

Finding a working VHS player is harder than finding sealed tapes. I bought 6 used VCRs before finding a working unit to convert some home movies to digital for my Grandmother.

[@DigitalContentNetwork]

I collect sealed bills from buying VHS tapes at Walmart.

[@danspawn85]

so one could possibly sell wiped tapes that are still in its original packaging, as long as it's sealed?

[@malkneil]

How would you wipe them, with a powerful magnet or something?

[@mjesus850]

@@malkneil yeah i think thats actually a thing

[@danspawn85]

@@malkneil it was a common practice back when tapes were everywhere, especially in police departments. Just run a super magnet over both sides of the tape spools. It's faster than running it through a machine.

[@CinemaATTACKS]

Some sealed tapes also get moldy. So the actual tape could be moldy and erased and still get big money!

[@ricahrdb]

I understand the enjoyment of a lot of forms of collecting and I get the nostalgia factor with VHS. But it is a format that has not only been superceded a long time ago by a much better format (DVD) and also that superceding format has become almost as cheap as VHS. Collecting sealed VHS seems to be primarily about the seal itself and not about what is on the tape. Or it is a bit like NFT's where the rarity of the item is what decides the value and not the item itself. Somewhat bewildering stuff.

[@leeartlee915]

For what it’s worth, VHS itself is not a bad technology. The problem is the quality of the tapes and cheapness of the players made the images terrible. But if you bought a top of the line top with an 4-head, super nice player, VHS looks pretty good.

[@minimalchill]

I mean…Blu-ray’s are way better than NES carts, once could argue. Doesn’t make NES obsolete, not for collectors anyway. I totally understand why VHS has become popular again. It all boils down to nostalgia at the end of the day. It’s a hell of a drug.

[@zackschilling4376]

There are some movies that havent been released on DVD/Blu-Ray, and that will push up the value. And @Leeartlee is right, too. If you have a high end VCR, VHS movies can look really good. There are some Laser Discs that have extra content not available anywhere else, and people collect them, too. The sealed thing is kinda weird. But I guess some collectors want the best version of an item.

[@rc_matic]

VHS is a format. Sure, we may get a little nostalgic seeing a vhs in the wild. But amassing a large collection of VHS is only reserved for film enthusiasts and weirdos.

[@ricahrdb]

@@minimalchill I also mentioned the nostalgia factor. But it is very different than with NES carts. NES games were originally published on NES carts. So it is the original work and unless the publisher remasters it the experience of playing that game on any other platform is basically going to be the same. VHS on the other hand is not the original carrier of its content (usually film) and VHS is unquestionably the worst possible media to watch that content. It has a low resolution, is very susceptible to interference and degradation and wide screen was very rare in its day. So as I said before: I get that people collect it for nostalgia but there are no real other benefits.

[@alwaysbmonke6618]

Awe c'mon man! I love buying vhs, they're cheap and easy to find. Making them expensive is going to wreck them for me. I just got a copy of back to the future for .33 at the thrift store.

[@newgameaaaa]

I hope they stay cheap so you can continue collecting.

[@salvagemonster3612]

Want more? Got piles of them and bunch sealed ones

[@jonathanhuguet1521]

@@salvagemonster3612 Same and I will dump them soon cause I don't care 😅

[@Vandalle.]

@@salvagemonster3612 What do you have sealed?

[@MrDrokkul]

What I've noticed on sealed vhs tapes is that the continually shrinking shrink wrap doesn't damage the box much because the tape is the full size of the box and provides structure. What usually happens is that the shrink wrap usually just splits open after time.

[@salvagemonster3612]

Got some from dead uncle five years back. All sealed and they are 30 to 35 years old. No splits. If the sun or heat gets to them. Then yep your right

[@CasinoClams]

The genuinely rare VHS tapes are too rare to support a large collector's market, so they had to figure out a way to make the common sealed sell-through tapes appear to be rare. It's such a transparent scam. Anyone who collects VHS knows these sealed tapes of mainstream movies are common as dirt.

[@Clay3613]

Depends on the release and title. I collect some mainstream releases just for the unique artwork before everything became homogenized in the late 80s.

[@CasinoClams]

@@Clay3613 I'm just saying there's a huge difference in rarity between something like Unicorn Video's Night of the Sorcerers and whatever copy of Nightmare on Elm Street these people are pretending is worth thousands.

[@buxcrunner89]

I got back into VHS around 2009. I do prefer watching 80s and 90s movies on VHS as opposed to DVD or Blu-Ray. Plus, you get the original trailers.

[@KevinIsSoAwsome]

I remember everyone fast forwarding threw the trailers and never watching them.

[@Clay3613]

Really? You like the loss of image quality despite Blu-Ray and UHD providing the same level of detail as seeing a film print back in the day?!

[@danr2652]

Whatever people are willing to pay for it is what it's worth. It's mostly a rarity thing... "I have it and you don't"

[@jmsebastianhasvideogametho6063]

I can imagine there being a pretty healthy market for stuff that may have only been released on VHS or where very specific versions of the films were released on VHS only. I'm thinking maybe some early 80s anime stuff that came over but was never re-released. The big one that comes to mind is The Last Unicorn, which had a DVD release, but that version had altered voice over in places and some language was muted. I don't know the status of it now, but rights issues prevented it from being released on a different format in its original version, so the only way to see it was on VHS. The Star Wars trilogy is similar deal, although I think the best official version of those films for home release was on laserdisc. But that all comes down to genuine rarity and oddity. Seeing blockbuster films go for a bunch on money on VHS is ridiculous, and I doubt it will ever get as crazy as games because most movies are available digitally and infinitely easier to play. If a video has been digitized, there's a way to play it. That's less true of many games.

[@MrRom92DAW]

as someone who still occasionally buys and opens SEAAALLLED laserdiscs (sometimes up to 40 years old) for next to nothing, it’s funny to me to see people losing their mind (and bank accounts) over these super common sealed retail VHS tape. Every single one of these is a well-known movie that has been made obsolete by a better looking dvd at least 20 years ago. Then blu ray. And then probably even 4K. Who wants to go back to watch these? It’s not like they have rare content that never made the jump to another format (mostly what I buy on LD - there is a LOT of it) and it’s not like it’s somehow the best possible way to watch a classic either (surprisingly, still the case for a lot of LDs) so exactly what is the appeal here? There is alot of neat stuff on VHS that never came out any other way, so sure, collect that. But. You really need some random 1980’s release of Jaws? What exactly does that represent?

[@mjesus850]

Think about how many were made, literally mass produced probably, but thats not even the best point against. Your point is better about how its obsolete and most people can just watch it on dvd or blue ray. All these weird ass collecting fields nowadays is just about making the guidelines so strict like plastic must be perfect, box is intact all that shit filters out that massive production number, and its just a small group of people trading shit back and forth no one else cares about.

[@MrRom92DAW]

@@mjesus850 I just don’t get the appeal of collecting incredibly nice examples of incredibly common mass produced stuff. I’m really not such a huge movie buff but if I was and had thousands of dollars to spend, I would much rather have something unique with some intrinsic value. Like a screen-used prop. Or maybe even a 35mm print from the original theatrical run. This is just dumb. If I saw someone buying sealed VHS tapes at a thrift store I would call them a hoarder because it really is literal garbage. Put a $70k pricetag and an acrylic slab on the same thing and now they’re a “collector”

[@mjesus850]

@@MrRom92DAW Its because nowadays everyone thinks everything is collectible, without realizing the subtle forces at play for each product. There's a reason certain things are rare, expensive etc from back in the day. Old magic cards back in 2007-2008, Economy is in the tank, nobody wants to buy thus less product etc. Everything needs a point to collect like you said or has factors that play into the collectability, rare movie prop is 100% more understandable to wanting to have or investment wise than cellophane wrap being in good condition on a piece of cardboard. Wata loves the manipulated factors like grading which arbitrarily pushes down the amount available, then the intrinsic factors like i mentioned before like (market state, Print run, etc) hardly anyone looks for.

[@mjesus850]

the only sealed thing that ever makes sense is trading cards. IF its sealed you know its not tampered with, you have the gambling premium of opening it up and seeing what you pull, most people open them so theres less.

[@porynog]

As someone who dabbles a bit in VHS collecting, I just like the experience. However, that guy is full of bologna, unlike video games everyone I know who collects VHS does it for the nostalgia/the fact that the movies are much cheaper to obtain usually. Literally no one cares about sealed VHS tapes in the tape market (though you can to a lesser extent make that statement about game collectors too; I don't count the "investors" as collectors) I do think, however, that if they do get inflated like games, it's gonna come down crashing almost instantly because there's so many other methods to watch the movies [in better quality] But anything to get these tabloid sites clicks, gotta hype up [common] pieces of media dragging in large sums of money

[@dudeguy7347]

The reason you want a VHS slabbed is because the cellophane degrades over time. If you lock it in plastic, the seal stops degrading

[@TheGreyBaron]

The writing on the wall: you went from finding tapes for 4 or 5/$1.00 at a thrift store to them being a buck each and Disney tapes were $1.99. They have warehouses full of these fuckin things, plenty SEALED. Another cash grab ruins a fun hobby.

[@kevinconnor3187]

Thanks!

[@Vandalle.]

I honestly don't understand why sealed VHS is controversial, how is it any different to games? I enjoy sealed VHS for the same reason I enjoy other sealed things, because I like clean, fresh, sharp boxes with cool artwork on it, covered in cellophane and slabbed, I don't know why I do, but I do. Whats the difference between owning a sealed N64 game because I love the box, artwork and nostalgia, and owning sealed Pokemon VHS because I love the box, artwork and nostalgia?

[@mumfnah]

Typical, just as last summer I threw away dozens of VHS films as they didn't sell for pennies at bootsale and charity shop wouldn't accept them. Oh well

[@hectormontalvo5565]

Man you could have given them to me!😭

[@bstoppel1]

I'd be curious to know if Tom decided to sell of his own accord or if someone approached him. Maybe that's covered in one of the articles, but I only read through one of them.

[@scottfoster8681]

As for the experience...I remember on the VHS of Nightmare on Elmstreet you can see the damn mattress Freddy falls on toward the end when he's pulled out of the dream and falls down the stairs 😂. Thanks 4:3

[@robert8192]

this same thing happenned when I was a little boy with stamp collecting... and comic books....

[@T1000416]

A copy of Halloween II sold last year in ebay for something over 25K. Everyone in horror collector groups I'm in on FB don't understand it and believed that auction was some sort of fraud/money laundering.

[@homersimpson5668]

Was it the “stereo” variant cover ? That one is harder to find and always goes for alot

[@Captain_Obvious_Says]

I collect vhs. You can get ‘em cheap especially SEEEEAAAAAALED

[@CousinHubertRetrogaming]

Lool

[@blackjuju5154]

Not for long. I have seen articles about their values, so you will be priced out now with an influx of sheep that jump on the bandwagon.

[@bobkerr2755]

2022: Sealed VHS tapes 2023: Sealed 8track tapes

[@bandersnatchbigfootexplore549]

The vhs dna guy seems very sketchy to me. He did a tour of his personal collection and he had tons of copies of the same movies Sealed. I’ve never seen a collector that had over ten sealed star wars ghostbusters and back to the future in their personal collection.

[@otakubullfrog1665]

The question is whether this will bubble up to the point where people think opened or even loose VHS tapes have value. It sounds silly, but I never bet against people's ability to overvalue things. If it does happen, I'll be happy to sell the ones I still have and curse myself for all the ones I've thrown out over the years. Conceptually, I do think physical media is worth preserving as not everything is available on streaming and there's no guarantee that what is available will stay up forever in an unaltered form, but VHS just isn't the best format for most titles.

[@vintagevhstreasures4058]

Unfortunately, used copies of titles like Star Wars, Ghostbusters and Back To The Future are also starting to go up too. But they haven’t sold.

[@noentropyjames1283]

I spent $15k on Kenny Loggins' copy of "Top Gun." Did I get a good deal?

[@juslostone]

That is a whole lot of criticism coming from two grown men, old millennials and super dorks surrounded in a room full of toys. As someone who grew up with VHS, I can completely understand Why VHS is starting to take off makes perfect sense.

[@davidlloyd1526]

The last time I played an old VHS... it was a white blur. Tapes just demagnetise. You get similar problems with old floppy disks if you're a retro computer collector.

[@elronaldese]

The only reason this would become collectible for me would be VHS of movies that were never released afterward in any format (dvd, bluray or streaming)

[@kimdworld18]

I collect VHS seriously because of the nostalgic factor and not for the monetary value. I grew up in the late 90’s and early 2000’s when VHS was still a thing and slowly died out by 2003. It’s what got me into retro media from an early age.

[@leonardm6858]

I reccomend Analog Archivist's videos on this topic. As the owner of the VHS-Collector website he is a real authority on this subject.

[@Sixfortyfive]

The only real value of VHS was in its utility as a recording format. VCR stands for Video Cassette Recorder, not Video Cassette Player. Prepackaged home video on VHS only became a thing and made any business sense after every household had a VCR. It was never any good on its own merit as a product, either for video quality (lol) or the user experience (the hassle of rewind/seek, tape jams, wear, etc). I was so, so very ready to leave magnetic tape behind once optical media became adopted. Can't say I'm surprised that there's a niche for anything, though.

[@JoeFpoc]

Ill be sitting this one out. I just inherited boxes of vhs tapes, just ended up giving them away. Pretty sure there was no sealed ones anyways. I think if i had the room for it i might have set up a shelf for the heck of it but i would never watch any of them anyways

[@JohnVullo]

When I was going to blockbuster in the mid 90s, I was renting a ton of VHS tapes (horror stuff). I bought all the F13s, Halloweens on tape etc. About 5 or 6 years ago, I sold them all to someone who was a VG collector. Nothing I had was worth anything so I got 5 bucks a tape. Used that money to buy a Kid Dracula for GB.

[@neverwin2518]

Graded POGS are next

[@RocketboyX]

Millhouse has entered the chat.

[@theswapmeetflea]

CJ - *"Awww, shit, here we go again."*

[@nerdiestmurdoch887]

I mentioned this months ago! I have sold some sealed VHS for prices that I couldn’t understand.

[@CaptainVideoBlaster]

BETA losing had nothing directly to do with adult entertainment. BETA allowed P**n content to be made. VHS beat it because it was more cost effective. It was cheaper and thus more profitable option for the film distributors. This was amplified by the fact that because weight and size VHS player units were cheaper to ship, thus slowly evermore tipping the scales.

[@mrmovieprop]

I think the big factor was beta generally could not fit one movie on a tape. People did not want to have to trade out tapes in the middle of a movie.

[@deathisaprimitiveconcept]

It's interesting to see these collecting things birth in real time, 10 years from now the narrative will be that VHS was ALWAYS the best and we were all idiots to abandon our VHS tapes for DVDs. The exact same thing happened with Vinyl, and you can say many of the same things that they say about VHS here for Vinyl... i'm going to duck for cover now.

[@Vlad-bu3mr]

But your not wrong....

[@retroroughriders4579]

The main idea is PHYSICAL MEDIA. vhs is cheap, dvd is cheap...etc etc Load up on your favorite movies and discover new ones. Streaming platforms still dont have the movies you might recall or remember, then some are censored or edited. Own the original!

[@PlayitagainVHS]

Whats next ??? GRADED DVDs !!!

[@labnine3362]

I disagree that VHS was garbage. In the early 90's, I had a JVC Super VHS that had fantastic audio/video quality. It had a great jog dial and S-Video. I ended up using it until around 99 when it broke. I didn't have it fixed. Instead bought an early DVD player. But honestly, early DVD didn't seem like that big of an upgrade to me beyond the extra features that DVDs had (instant chapter access, etc.).

[@GeneSimmonsBoots]

I think I had that JVC! It allowed for seamless insert editing, and the remote was the size of thick paperback book.

[@kchrules775]

Early DVDs were basically ported over Laserdiscs. Non-anamorphic widescreen and blocky video sometimes. And early VHS tapes were a camera pointing at a screen showing a movie on film. In the first VHS of Dirty Harry from 1979, you can literally see the flash when the projector turns on. VHS was fine for what we had at the time, but no one wants to watch it now

[@dennismcdonald2607]

I still have my top end Mitsubishi Super VHS player and it still works like a charm! It was the top 'prosumer' model at the time and the one that was double was the one network's used and included 'video toasting' features. Being that it was 1994, this wasn't a necessity for me yet. With I'd ponyed up for that one!

[@labnine3362]

@@GeneSimmonsBoots Nice... so at least one person here knows for certain that VHS wasn't horrible. This is the same discussion as audio cassettes. People with a great deck like a Marantz or Nakamichi had great experiences with cassettes. Others had a cheap walkman knockoff or something and continue to say cassettes were horrible. What can you do? PS I still remember buying that Super VHS at a store in MI called ABC Warehouse.

[@labnine3362]

@@dennismcdonald2607 Glad to hear yours still works. Enjoy!!!

[@dougo670]

Sounds like it's folks who collected a bunch of "stuff" and need space, so they're trying to get top dollar. I have a ton of CDs I'd like to get rid of myself for space and I admit it's hard for me to just trash them or their jewel cases. I'd really like to get *something*, even a buck, because of how hard I find it to dump them.

[@hectormontalvo5565]

Sell them on-line or yard sale!🤔

[@BRBMrSoul]

Hmm, but if make someone think collectable also kinda securing that person won’t just trash them one day…I like track your theory is on here cos MAY explain a little of honest inflation from sellers atleast, like when have a litter of kittens or something, ask for little money not because really trying exploit but because it’s a sign person adopting the cat isn’t a loser.

[@aaronha9341]

the problem is around the last 10 years of vhs fad resealing was being done in a lot of stores they would re shrink wrap used games and vhs . i think grading is a scam your buying value the diffrence in value between raw and graded is ridiculous and the cost of grading items is terrible collector take all the risk and pay and grader get paid a precentage of the possible value they make the most and risk nothing i think we have just seen the tip of the corruption in this . grading tanked ungraded card values in the 90s and hyper inflated grading costs and values. no its going onto the video games and vhs market.

[@BRBMrSoul]

Ya never really understood whole grading thing. Even as a kid with comic books…like it’s a comic book…worth 25c lol wtf?

[@midimusicforever]

This is silly lol. What's next, sealed biodegradable boxes with lenticular cards and metal coins in them, but no games?

[@quipher]

I collect vhs to watch on my retro gaming station.

[@JamesBond-df5jd]

Collecting movies just got extremely stupid. There is no value in something that has a million copies on VHS, dvd and Blu-ray. IGS grade bootlegs what a bunch of crap.

[@ShadyPlatinum777]

I can understand if it’s a movie that never got a DVD release but otherwise it makes no sense.

[@Morgil27]

The only movies that I could see being worth tracking down a VHS of in this day and age would be the original Star Wars trilogy.

[@BRBMrSoul]

Pa had them when I was a kid. I dunno what happened to em’ but all I have now is the DVDs(gold box, round when prequels came out) :/ Don’t think I need to elaborate why that bums me out lol and ya I agree, certainly never pay crazy money but would pay something to get those back. So stupid too, prob just were tossed /given away when we moved. If only had known.

[@popartfiction9130]

before you know it - someone will take one onto Pawn Stars

[@ThaKoalaKing]

I'm a movie collector, some DVD and mostly blu-ray. It's sad to see this come to my hobby.

[@SAM-ru4vx]

What about a *sealed* betamax copy of MASH?

[@JohnSmith-yd5wq]

I have the original Lion King unopened how much is that worth? I also a VHS BTTF taped of HBO. What is that worth? I mean it's vintage

[@mrkoolaidkid333]

The awful quality of the VHS tape’s is part of charm. It’s how I remember watching them, and some movies like “Blair Witch Project” looks better on VHS with the “Lost Footage” feel being grainy and not cleaned up for 4k. Also some movies have never had a DVD/Blu-ray release so VHS is the only way to get them. Unless someone takes the time to create one ☝️ then it’s bootleg quality and looks just as bad just on DVD now. If I want to see a movie like “Star Wars” in it’s original release and not tampered with with the CGI effects this is the only way I can do that. But mostly I collect for the nostalgia of it. It has it’s charm and I enjoy it.

[@Bozar069]

The VHS cut of Star Wars isnt the same as the theatrical release. IIRC there were even different theatrical cuts of Star Wars.

[@themax4677]

Look around for the Harmy fan fixed versions of the original trilogy. Han shoots first again, blasters don't make the screen flash pink anymore, and Han doesn't hang out with a painfully undersized Jabba. It's how my kids first (and so far only way) my kids have seen the originals

[@daver7178]

And I quote, "the technology of VHS tape is fucking garbage.... it's not the most memorable way to play [watch] something." Pat - you discredit yourself as having authority in any collecting communities when you dog the entire hobby like that. Collecting is a personal experience, EXACTLY the same as retro video game collecting. Just because you don't enjoy the format or have any sentimental value that would make watching films on this format as "memorable" doesn't mean that others can have those experiences, which they obviously do. This show has always been a bit of a bitch fest, but damn dude, what a poor take on this one and this comes from someone active in both retro game and VHS collecting.

[@bdaniels986]

VHS might have been garbage but when it came out it was the only game in town for the household. That's like saying the microwave is the worst way to cook food yet every house has one

[@koreyf]

Video game collecting is an established hobby with a known market, which is why graded games had an opportunity. VHS tapes do not have this foundation to build off of. (i.e. I don't see VHS collector stores/conventions/websites, but gaming has that market in a large capacity)

[@AdamMurtland]

I think the visual aesthetic of VHS has a large role in some people's nostalgia for the content of the tapes. The retro TV commercial marathons you do are rich with nostalgia due in no small part to the smearing, tearing, tracking, an audio glitches inherent to VHS tapes. No way to know for sure, but I'd bet if the only way to watch such commercials were with HD remasters they wouldn't be as popular.

[@boulder00]

Late to the comments. I used to have a copy of Titanic on vhs. Duel cassette version, first print run, seal was clean and not to many scratches. I just wanted to hold on to it for a shelf piece. When I was married (12 years ago) my ex wife let the neighbors have it cuase the didn't have a DVD player. I was at work and could stop her. Oh well. Rhere goes half a million....

[@andywolan]

Wow, talk about taking crap no one wants for pennies on the dollar, (or free,) pumping it up with hype and then reselling it all at inflated prices. Given that VHS tape degrade over time, a "Seal" copy is the only way to sell a VHS tape without having to ensure it actually works. I can see collectable VHS tapes commanding a price, especially a release of a video you can no longer get, like an original cut of Star Wars, but sealed copies? Wow.

[@kurukururin]

in sweden theres been a market and a collecting community for swedish rental vhs tapes for more than 10-20 years. it has grown bigger and more expensive in the past 5 years though. but here we never collect the tapes you could buy in the stores. we only go for the bigger clamshell rentals :D its mostly about the earlier tapes, from the 70's and up to around 85, but nowadays even later tapes up to the early 90's even go for at least some money. i never think it will move beyond rentals in sweden though.

[@thegerm574]

Dang Ian. That hurts. I could care less about VHS and cassette tapes but I still collect DVDs when I see a good one.

[@5roundsrapid263]

I heard about the $75K tape on the radio, but they never mentioned it was owned by an actor. Pat is right; VHS never had great video quality. The audio could be good, but the video was crap. TV networks never used it because of that.

[@SionynJones]

It's so generic though, it's not like a script or special copy it's just a big standard VHS.

[@wiggles2439]

I thought we went through this already with the Disney VHS tapes which amounted to nothing.

[@retrogamerfan123]

Thing is down the line I could see them worth something because those are the original unaltered versions as for now eh

[@dualthreat74]

I don’t care about sealed VHS. I collect all formats of movies and with VHS I usually get the movies I grew up renting all the time and some of the great horror movies with the good artwork on them.

[@PixelGameSquad]

I've been collecting sealed VHS tapes for years now. I friggin love it 📼

[@CraigSnyder]

love the good vibes

[@ashleighsmith2028]

It's really about the iconic art of the boxes. That's really what I could see being collectable.

[@josephwolf7552]

I used to work at a pawn shop , we sold vhs for 50 cents

[@juannunez1929]

There's a reason why for years and years the go-to movie format for collecting was Laserdisk and not VHS. If you care about movies as movies, you want it to be viewable in it's highest quality possible and a format that is as close to the original screaning as possible. VHS has relatively few coveted releases like that due to the limitations of the format. The image quality and the sound aren't going to be great. Most stuff that is VHS-only is direct to video releases most people don't care about. There are exception but a lot less exceptions than you would think for a format that lasted as long as VHS.

[@worldsheaviestjamband93]

8:25 Pat nails it. I have many fond memories of the 80s and 90s…but the actual format of VHS isn’t one of them. I oddly pickup a VHS and just think “these things are gross”

[@steverasmussen8738]

8-Tracks, the next 'manufactured collectable'. Buy 'em now at goodwill for $0.88.