VHS Movie Collecting: VGA Announces Plans to Grade Factory Sealed VHS Movies, BUT will it Matter?

In this video, we discuss the newly released announcement from VGA that they will soon be starting to grade and encapsulate factory sealed VHS movies. What does this mean for this very niche, speculative collecting category? Let's discuss...
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[@rainbowmusic274]

It's so funny how they always want the box more than what comes in it

[@ParallelUniversity]

There is probably more variation in the seals when it comes to VHS tapes compared with video games. I imagine identifying a legit factory seal might be the hardest part of the grading process for some obscure titles.

[@brasscupholder6233]

Black Diamond VHS! Hey Shawn, I copied your investment strategy from an older video displaying on your shelf, & also acquired a sealed Fight Club DVD ready for grading. Combined with the purple Beanie Baby seen on Alpha Investments video background, & the Chunky Dunky seen on Scott Pratte's background, this will be the start of an indexing strategy of KZbinrs' shelf-talkers.

[@aaronsnyder2420]

The Black Diamond Disney VHS tapes was the first mainstream buzz about VHS investing and of course it ended up being a joke because EVERYONE practically owned them. That said there does seem to be an organic interest in VHS nostalgia that has kind of ballooned since then so there is real interest in that field. I collect them when I find interesting ones at flea markets but I would never pay a premium.

[@PWheat23]

About 6 months ago, I was searching Ebay for a VHS player and was astonished at how much people are asking for them now. All I wanted to do was watch some of my older family videos and it was tough finding a player under 100 bucks. I used to have stacks of VHS players that I just threw away when DVD and Blu-Ray came out. This has nothing to do with grading VHS but thought I'd share my experience. Thanks for the video!!!

[@SteveHencye]

There are 2 big issues that are killing any potential for the VHS market (aside from being able to reseal the tapes). 1. People do not understand the difference between asking price and sold price. Way, way too many people who are not in the collectibles market see an asking price on ebay and think that it means value. I can't tell you how many times I have gone to garage sales and the seller has told me "those are going for x amount of ebay". I can put my toe nail clippings on ebay for $100 that doesn't mean that's what they're worth. 2. Every body had these tapes. They were everywhere. Libraries had them, video stores, department stores, and then the individual household. I guarantee you 75% of grandmothers out there have a stash of VHS tapes in a closet. With all of this being said, if you find a sealed VHS of a somewhat desirable title for 50 cents at your local garage sale don't hesitate to buy it. You'll still make some sort of profit. But don't consider it a retirement plan. Thanks for the vid! It will be interesting to see what direction this market takes.

[@crackdaddy11]

I have to think, just like you've said with video games, there are tons of cases of sealed VHS sitting in warehouses somewhere. The market will get flooded if grading VHS takes off.

[@lcgauctions]

The first factory sealed VHS graded by VGA are currently at auction at LCG Auctions.

[@matrixcmitech]

VHS is well ready for a nostalgia lift-off but the fad for sealed & graded media is a fetish for packaging... Old school vhs tapeheads will gladly take advantage in the sealed market.

[@reginaldbauer5243]

When are we finally going to see graded arcade cabinets? Can you do a video on precious metals (gold in specific)?

[@woodspringstcg]

The lifecycle of an antique would be a great topic. 👍

[@HermannTheGreat]

Entering a period of plain greed. There is alot of money buying up niche collectible content in order to take money from the ignorant.

[@crazyrabbits]

Yep - see the rise of NFT's. An absolute joke of a sector.

[@CMRetroGaming]

I'm totally going to get my Raiders of the Lost Ark on VHS graded..lol. Not because I care about it's value, but I think it would be cool on the shelf. I also have a vintage condom still in the wrapper from the 80's, so it's vintage and rare..lol. How do I get that graded.

[@J0SHUAKANE]

When I worked in my uncles video store, we would reseal tapes all the time. Tapes would always come in with damaged plastic. If the person pays attention to the type of plastic used & where the seams of the seal are, it will be impossible to tell an original. Unless they are marked like new line cinema/fox tapes were for a while🤷‍♂️

[@matrixcmitech]

The big studios like CBS, FOX, MGM, DISNEY used a security-tab sticker devices on the tapes. These can be checked for integrity. Smaller studios usually had no security like that.

[@J0SHUAKANE]

@@matrixcmitech heat gun & a razor blade & they come off mint. It's kind of an oxymoron, considering all the most sought after tapes are from smaller companies, aside from anomalies like the Fox release of Class of Nuke'em High 2 that had a low print run.

[@matrixcmitech]

I predict there will be severe "growing pains" with grading sealed VHS going forward similar to what happened with WATA. Wait and see!

[@TheMysteryDriver]

@@matrixcmitech on mine that was on the actual box and tape more often than the plastic wrap

[@happyb6443]

Great vid! The problem with bringing in regulation is that on Day 1, the scope might be suitable and well-intentioned … but 50 years down the road there might be scope creep (due to organizational bloat over the decades, since governmental agencies tend to get bigger as opposed to smaller over time), which could eventually lead to an ‘unwelcome presence’ in the markets. In other words, it might turn out to be a slippery slope.

[@johnsineni]

Guess I should get my sealed copies of Back to the Future and Titanic VHS tapes graded. I just wonder who to have them graded by.

[@MilkWasABadChoice17]

It's really funny how 10+ years ago people thought the sealed video game market was too eccentric and only appealed to a certain cult group. Now we have Super Mario 64 is selling for ridiculous amounts of money (granted this is due to major market manipulation). I could see the VHS market going into a bubble as well if the right (or wrong) individuals get involved.

[@DualBrainMTG]

Awesome as always Shawn; I’ve been waiting to see your next vid on this

[@KeyKiller74]

When you talked about this VHS/DVD grading company few month back I thought to myself why? It's a dead era no one buys DVD's anymore most everyone goes on Netflix to get there movies. Now I can see a few movies being sought after like vintage VHS Disney & 90's DVD anima movies. I'm sure it wont be to long till we start seeing graded Funk Pop's & Beanie Babies enter the hobby.

[@thevintagevaluesexperience4302]

In 2-3 years from now, I could easily see grails like sealed OG Star Wars VHS tapes going for millions.

[@ReservedInvestments]

That most likely won’t happen. It’s too niche.

[@jebrennock]

As always, great content!

[@comiccowboy]

I would urge your users to be cautious buying raw sealed VHS off ebay at high prices. A lot of these tapes have been re-sealed and do not contain the original seal. Some seals have the studio watermark on the seal. But overall, be very cautious it's very speculative right now.

[@joe2825]

I collect sealed vhs tapes. It the art, nostalgia and rarity that makes them collectable.

[@ReservedInvestments]

It will be interesting to see where this market goes over the years, that’s for sure.

[@questjelinek]

A life cycle video perhaps with case studies of beanie babies or video games would be excellent!

[@DriveupLife22]

If there are ANY sealed VHS collectors out in the market, there will be far less in ten years the further away we get from VHS's hayday. This market will be entirely speculative.

[@BUYATARI]

This is a more tempered viewpoint to a new overnight sensation than I would have expected from you. For the most part I agree with what you say here. Personally, I'm not a fan of VHS but nothing will shock me at this point.

[@TheFactorySealedCollector.]

CAS is the best I believe! It’s so good! It helped me graded the stuff I wanted and they told me if it was resealed! I’m new to collecting and I have a big collection already! They are good and have the videos to show how it is good to watch how they graded!

[@jettycomlego]

Love the content Shawn. I'd love to know if you collect anything purely for your enjoyment, and maybe see your personal collection in the future.

[@Rtrknght]

Yes i would like to see a video the life cycle of antiques cause i have always wonder this and love the videos keep up the great work

[@ReservedInvestments]

Thank you!

[@unstoppableExodia]

If that takes off and speculative euphoria spreads to unsealed vhs I would be quite happy about that as I have a decent collection of vhs movies that I have been gifted over the years. I don’t have a vhs player anymore so my intention has always been to sell them off now that people are starting to collect them (for whatever reason).

[@aaroncopeland5964]

Wooo, the sealed copy of It’s A Wonderful Life colorized on VHS that I bought at Goodwill for $2 last year as a joke is suddenly going to be worth $1.56 million! I’m rich! 😜

[@josh_7569]

We're both going to the moon. I got my curly the beanie baby to take me home

[@TOSStarTrek]

Much rather have a movie poster than a VHS.

[@BUYATARI]

Shawn, I have 50 or so original paintings used for VHS covers. A few are films from the 80-90s but most are animated cartoon covers by Greg Martin (Thundercats,TMNT,My Pet Monster etc). Do you think this new interest in graded VHS will have any effect on the demand and pricing on these types of paintings? Would your advice for the original artwork be the same as it is for the VHS tapes?

[@txag007]

Isn’t true that sitting sealed VHS tapes get moldy with time? I wouldn’t want a Petri dish sitting on a shelf growing over time! A Timmy, Kimmy, and poindexter are easily parted from their money!

[@lennywright5655]

🤔 why do I have the feeling that speech near the end about managing your speculation was inspired by some questions from 10K Q&A, LOL.

[@theyugiohempire7358]

The insane influx of people approaching collectibles as an investment opportunity is daunting. At this point, investor interest vastly outnumbers organic interest, and it's not even close. A grading company calling itself "investment grading service" sets a disturbing precedent for the future, as does the emergence of Robinhood-esque platforms such as Otis and Rally for investing in shares of collectibles. Collectibles now really feel like 2006 bank stocks, but worse, because the government ain't bailing out collectible investors when SHTF.

[@ReservedInvestments]

You’re not exactly wrong!

[@Mitjitsu]

I'm going to buy a Breville Kettle off Amazon, then send it in to VGA to get graded. After that, I'm going to get rich flipping it back into the market.

[@thegoodybarn9060]

"But Shawn, You don't understand!"

[@paulgee2939]

I'm collecting caps from beer (every single one in 9.8++ condition). I plan to grade/box them (you know any company which do this BTW?). Imagine what a BIG THING it may be after the nuclear war srikes :).

[@michaelblatherwick5324]

Sealed and unsealed *MEDIA will have a base level of collectability. Grading is a pure cash grab bubble. If only there was a market of mass produced media with an established history that we could use as a barometer ... (looks at vinyl copies of 1967 Sgt Pepper sitting unbid and unsold for under $50) Nope, guess not.

[@bartsimpson83]

You know what I do with sealed movies and games? I open them and play them because that's what they're for.

[@Steve_SCirca30]

Does this mean unsealed prices are going to go up? I like collecting VHS. I do not buy bulk amounts. I like to pick one up here and there. If this takes off will it end up like the retro game market. Again I am not hunting for sealed stuff.

[@Mecal00]

The weird thing is, VHS is objectively worse (in terms of video quality) than DVD and even streaming. So while there is a nostalgia aspect - I grew up in that era - as a collectible it just seems bizarre. The only exception I can think of is if there are some VHS-only films out there.

[@shaunludlow7144]

I think it would be a good idea to make that video. I personally don't get why people argue with you over some of this stuff, it seems people read into statements what they want to hear (or don't want to hear), and put words in your mouth that you never said. Those people maybe need to hear the comparison between Alt asset classes and more traditional asset classes so they can hopefully finally understand what you've been saying this whole time.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@dietchapstick7890]

I guess the pump and dump crowd is running out of categories to manipulate.

[@woodspringstcg]

What is your opinion on Austrian Economics? Thank you as always for your time.

[@jmaggio909]

He has claimed he is a big Sanders' supporter, so I doubt he loves the Austrians like Hayek and the such. (Just my opinion from watching him.)

[@Kurtle001]

Shawn is the Goat 🐐

[@TW-fv2zu]

The Hands!

[@Gichie79]

When will we get graded phones like the 1st iphone and Samsung Galaxy be a thing? Sealed iphone 1s are selling for over $5000 on ebay. This is not something I care for, but could see speculation surge happen.

[@adampeters4977]

I'd just start picking these up at estate sales. They are usually priced at about $5 a piece.

[@daniellomas3889]

Sadly they will become expensive. The same happened to vinyl records. That was a dead format with CDs, and were very cheap. Now that Ads show people with a turntable and records, Jimmy Fallon did his show with records in the background and overnight, records tripled in price with Covid and lockdowns. People are really easily lead and the people who genuinely like these things are the ones who are screwed.

[@glycineairman]

I’m seeing a lot of people who cashed out large on video games and silver age comics hoarding VHS now. They will make this a thing, at least in the short term...and cash out quickly. Also think you meant Blackstone owning CGC, not blackrock :)

[@mrxquisite]

Yes that is correct BX owns CGC

[@DanielRivera-on5qh]

Man that sealed Mr. Deeds is about to pay off lo

[@CaseyKucera]

can you do a follow up on this???

[@ReservedInvestments]

Can you expand? Follow up in what regard? The market is extremely new and speculative.

[@vintagevhstreasures4058]

Do you think that the graded VHS market will ever get to the same level as where the graded video game market is at?

[@ReservedInvestments]

No, it’s much too niche…

[@Dodger27]

Life cycle of antiques, please! Thank you. Also, graded VHS is a joke

[@aaronsnyder2420]

I'd like to see this video as well

[@JohnnyEvilsVids]

I just want my near mint condition 1st print sealed copy of Predator(that I bought for a buck) to come back from grading. Then I want it to be worth a million bucks. lol

[@chaosdimension6433]

Is it true that really old sealed VHS movies develop mold inside them?

[@J0SHUAKANE]

Depends how they are stored. In high humidity, yes.

[@chenglong54]

I can't wait for factory sealed graded floppy disk :D

[@samuraijesus7871]

I'm already grading floppy disks in my grandma's basement, why get in on the ground floor when there is a perfectly good basement. Just remember floppy d's when it all blows up.

[@runsame]

jesus... sooner or later they will grade factory sealed popcorn :) HAHAHA

[@ReservedInvestments]

Is the popcorn from Blockbuster? We pay a premium for that...although movie theater popcorn is slightly more valuable... ;)

[@runsame]

@@ReservedInvestments put a "limited edition" sticker on it and you can sell it for the triple price. :)

[@carnivalhands2884]

I could have sworn you said that antiques are cyclical vs linear. So how could a true antique have a life cycle.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Antiques are cyclical, in most cases. Lifecycle doesn’t mean the antique always dies.

[@breyerowen2640]

I know I have spamming you with Metazoo to the moon & these are speculative as all get out, and traditional assets are where it’s at, but I would love to hear your thoughts in a video on an update of fab and the craziness, marketing genius, and collabs that the ceo of Metazoo has thrown together that has tried to replicate Pokémon

[@ReservedInvestments]

One word: speculative. 😉

[@fartoplata308]

Aren’t all tapes supposed to deteriorate eventually? Most of the tapes in our climate controlled house are rough or unplayable. In other words, without a market for the unsealed stuff, does that remove support/floor for the sealed stuff?

[@davidshi123]

I'm not sure how much that is gonna matter if the sealed VHS tape is never opened. You also would never know if the tape was playable anyways. That's like SNES carts the battery could be dead and the cart does not work as originally intended. It doesn't matter (unless it leaks and damages the box).

[@JordanDCGehl]

What is the name of your eBay page? :)

[@JohnSmith-zl8rz]

Is funny, those VHS movies are around for years and nobody care's but a company start to grading, and a lot of Timmy's start to pay huge money for, people only buy stuff when is expensive, is very stupid.

[@ellisc5948]

Good let them grade them I just acquired 100s of vhs tapes. Now it’ll be easier to get rid of them!

[@latinsizer]

I'm still waiting for Pogs to start getting graded, I am sitting on millions of $ worth of Dragon Ball Z pogs from Mexico.

[@JohnSmith-zl8rz]

Now they try to ruin VHS collecting? damn! I hate the grading shit. I'm a hardcore movie collector, believe me, movie collectors mind works very different than game collectors, I bet VHS Grading collecting will not works, only for just a few people. I can write a lot but this guy give some good points about it kzbin.info/www/bejne/eF66Zp9maL9mfrc

[@MorganFGO]

It's interesting to see how the market innovates. For investors who invest into these markets I wish you luck but remember to listen to this wise man and invest more carefully.

[@odinian6244]

Who asked for VHS grading? People who have already stocked up, who really want a profitable market, and who's got the capital to set it in motion - that who 🤣

[@bathombre9739]

I would be buying beta tapes, shouldn't they be rarer?

[@midwesterror]

Yes, and if you want to get into it the quality of the format is superior to VHS as well...but...nobody cares because VHS is where the nostalgia lies and people are sheep.

[@mlcash9]

This is so stupid this is a shark jump in collecting media i hate grading companies so much

[@AlexXanderMarketing]

Pre production? Sean, you’re sitting in front of an iPhone, in your house, giving short takes on topics you are already well versed on. If you wanted to, you could crank out 2 or 3 of these videos per day. Don’t go Hollywood on us please.

[@ReservedInvestments]

That really isn’t true…

[@cyborgroxx]

VHS? Gimme a break, lol. And I thought grading games was silly. This is just getting out of hand. I'm probably a minority with thinking that way, but I just think this is going too far.

[@cyborgroxx]

@@donjonbovi3840 congratulations

[@ParallelUniversity]

Next they will start grading the slabs of the graded items, putting a slab around the first slab. Imagine a VGA 95 VGA 95, worth a billion dollars, easy.

[@cyborgroxx]

How about an unopened candy bar? Grade it, and sell it for millions.

[@cyborgroxx]

I have a lot of VHS tapes. Some sealed. If people choose to spend their money this way, that's fine. It's their money. If anything I'll take advantage of it and get my sealed ones graded and sell them. But I still think it's ridiculous. You don't think it is, and that's fine. You're free to think how you want and to express your thoughts. I'm doing the same thing. I think it's ridiculous.

[@nexiamania]

26th!

[@jbouchard1780]

FIRST VIEW :)