VHS Collectors: A Guide for VHS Tape Collecting
- When Did VHS Come Out?
- Does Anyone Collect Old VHS Tapes?
- Why Are People Collecting VHS Tapes?
- Is There A Collectors Market for VHS and Which VHS Tapes Are Worth Money?
- VHS Collecting: A Visual Starter Guide for VHS Covers and Tapes
- Last Movies Released on VHS
In recent years, interest in the VHS format has witnessed a resurgence. However, for many people, it may be difficult to understand why given the modern era of ultra-high fidelity 4k and the convenience of streaming. For those who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, VHS tapes were the primary means of watching movies and television shows at home outside of over-the-air programming, basic cable, and premium service options, including HBO. Like all physical media, VHS has a unique, tactile charm and nostalgia bound to it that is sorely missing with today’s aggressive transition to digital purchases and services. As an adult who grew up through the 80s and 90s and a collector of all sorts of physical media, I am fascinated by the rise of VHS collecting and the ways in which this format is becoming relevant again. This article aims to provide an overview of the rising popularity of VHS collecting, along with some useful insights and resources for long-time VHS collectors and new ones alike.
Entering the VHS collecting scene a few years ago in 2019, I found myself picking up VHS tapes at the local Goodwill and other thrift stores for a multitude of reasons. Whether it was seeing a tape for the first time in nearly 3 decades that I used to rent from a local grocery chain or discovering some beautiful, illustrated box art that has all but become a lost art form, my interest was and remains peaked. Additionally, having watched an untold number of films from the 80s and 90s when rentals were 2 for $1 at that local grocery store, I have a somewhat robust appreciation for the library of films from that era that some say are best watched on VHS coupled with a hulking CRT television. As a fan of retro video games, especially Sega and Nintendo home consoles, there is overlap and a natural bridge for many newcomers upon entering the VHS collecting scene. For a bit of a deeper dive into the retro gaming space, check out my write-up on the History of Nintendo. But, before we dig into VHS collecting, let’s first address a few common questions that many non-collectors and new participants may have to get us started.
When Did VHS Come Out?
The Video Home System (VHS) format was introduced to the consumer market in Japan in September 1976. This new format was developed by Victor Company of Japan (JVC) as a standard for consumer-level analog recording and playback of video and audio and was designed in tandem for use with the video cassette recorder, or VCR. Even with market competition, namely the Betamax format, VHS quickly gained popularity and became the dominant home video format throughout the 80s and 90s. It was eventually succeeded by DVD and later Blu-ray as digital video formats became more prevalent.
Does Anyone Collect Old VHS Tapes?
Yes, there are many people who collect old VHS tapes and wonderful online and local communities that can be found via Facebook, Reddit, and some simple Google searching. Interestingly, we are also in the midst of a resurgence of limited-release, brand-new modern & indie films on VHS, along with re-releases of long out-of-print horror classics by companies such as Witter Entertainment, Lunch Meat VHS, and Retro Release Video.
VHS collecting has been slowly gaining traction with new collectors in recent years. Historically, the VHS collecting community was exclusively built around collectors who simply love the format and all of its quirks and charm. However, as with many collectibles, the rise of social media has opened the doors for a broader audience of participants. This rise in popularity tends to bring with it a diverse crowd, including those who seek out rare and valuable tapes for profit, while others collect for nostalgia or sentimental value. In some cases, it is a bit of both where small business owners may be looking to expand their “retro” offerings or the more purist collector who simply wants to buy/sell/trade their way to a collection of their dreams without going broke.
VHS collectors may focus on specific genres or titles, or they may collect a wide range of tapes spanning the nearly 3 decades that they were released. Some collectors come from a more historical perspective, interested in preserving the incredible packaging and artwork of VHS tapes, as well as the history of the format. Wherever you fit into this spectrum, the best part of collecting anything is doing it exactly the way you enjoy it most.
The popularity of VHS collecting has led to the creation of online communities and forums dedicated to sharing information and resources related to the hobby. Interest is growing at a modest pace for this somewhat niche hobby (see the Google Trends data above). With the notable exception of the VHS Collector database, dedicated, comprehensive databases and online resources do seem to be somewhat lacking, especially compared to much larger collecting communities, such as the comic book and retro video game collecting scenes.
Why Are People Collecting VHS Tapes?
The rise of VHS collecting is driven by a number of factors. For one, some VHS tapes are becoming increasingly rare, as many were either in limited supply at release, thrown away, or replaced by consumers with newer formats. This scarcity has led to a rise in the value of certain, desirable tapes, with some collectors paying thousands of dollars for rare or highly sought-after titles. However, despite the yearly release of an article or YouTube video incorrectly clamoring about how your Disney Black Diamond tapes are worth more than your mortgage, the vast majority of VHS tapes are very common and hardly worth your time to sell individually or in bundles if you looking for profit only.
VHS collecting has increasingly evolved from local collecting groups and has become more of a global, community-driven hobby, with collectors sharing tips and recommendations on social media and trading in online forums. Reddit is home to many, highly active collecting communities, and VHS tape collecting is certainly no exception. The growth in collecting communities is an interesting indicator that provides a pulse on the interest of any particular collecting niche. As many retro game collectors are becoming priced out of their hobby, we are starting to see a blending of what were once largely isolated communities, including video games, comics, music, toys, and so on.
A quick analysis of the total number of subscribers for the VHS, retro game collecting (gamecollecting), DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4k collecting subreddits is quantified and tracked over the last 10 years in the graph above. Interestingly, there is a clear inflection point and growth explosion for both gamecollecting and the dvdcollection communities once they grew to ~40–50k subscribers. While there are many factors as to why and when these communities exploded in popularity, it is difficult to say if we will see this trend for the VHS subreddit and hobby as a whole. However, it is clear that the VHS community is on an undeniable growth trajectory having doubled the number of subscribers in just the past two years alone.
Is There A Collectors Market for VHS and Which VHS Tapes Are Worth Money?
To the surprise of many outside of the collecting communities, the answer is a resounding yes. The best answer to this commonly asked question, “Are old VHS videos worth money?” is to keep it simple and think like the buyer. Go to eBay, check sold listings for the exact version/release of the film you have, and go off of the real-time sales data there. eBay is often considered a last resort for VHS collectors who are looking to buy as there is a certain thrill and satisfaction in acquiring that desirable tape on the cheap via a thrift store or trade. However, as a seller, one can expect to get top dollar from selling on eBay as long as you keep in mind you will also be paying a good 20% or so from the total sales for eBay and PayPal fees, along with shipping and packaging fees. Local marketplaces, like Facebook and even Craigslist, are still viable avenues to buy and sell albeit with much lower reach and selection than eBay.
For a more specific answer to the ‘value’ question, there are certainly some genres and additional factors that weigh in more than others on the value of certain VHS tapes. Usually, first print copies from the early 80s, especially for horror, popular films, and movies that have entered the zeitgeist often command higher prices than later release versions. Another extremely controversial topic is the whole arena of grading, specifically grading sealed copies.
While ludicrous sales numbers are occasionally thrown around on blogs and social media for original copies of Halloween and other popular titles, by and large, these exaggerated sales and stories mostly fizzle out of the public’s attention by month’s end. With newcomers and renewed interest in VHS via social media platforms beginning to flood light into the once-dark corners of the VHS collecting scene, it’s quite easy to read the room and detect the pure disdain that veteran VHS collectors have for this latest trend.
It is important for the health of any collecting community to promote calm discussion and an open-minded approach when it comes to the grading topic. Yes, certain companies and for-profit-only individuals extract more than they provide to the space and this can result in a cascading of unwanted behaviors that ripple out like waves in a pond. It is also true that as a hobby becomes more popular we tend to see different types of VHS collectors enter the scene, e.g. collectors who enjoy sealed copies of their favorite films from a pure collecting mindset with no intent to sell. After all, there are often numerous ways to enjoy these popular films beyond firing up a CRT and watching it on tape. Additionally, it is much easier to find and certainly cheaper to buy open copies of your favorite film compared to a sealed copy.
The often abrasive attitude of the “just open it” crowd really comes off as tone-deaf in the eyes of new VHS collectors and long-time collectors alike, especially when considering some collectors may enjoy the exclusivity or ‘flex’ of the much more uncommon, sealed tape. This point is all the more clear when considering tangential, yet more mature collecting areas (e.g. comics & trading cards), have accepted graded/sealed collecting and normalized it, yet VHS and even retro game collecting communities still get hung up.
Remember, viewing/consuming and collecting are two distinct spheres of interest that just so happen to heavily overlap for many. However, if you fall into more of a collector and less of a viewer/consumer, that is just another way to enjoy the wildly fun rabbit hole that is VHS collecting.
VHS Collecting: A Visual Starter Guide for VHS Covers and Tapes
VHS cases and tapes remained relatively unchanged throughout the years from a pure engineering standpoint. However, to an untrained eye, assessing the specific edition or even the release date is often difficult to ascertain. Upon entering the space, a vast jungle of packaging/box design, factory sealing, anti-theft, watermarks, sticker seals, distributor logos, and artwork revisions emerge and often change multiple times over the years with each new release. In many instances, first-edition releases and editions from the early 80s are the most uncommon and thus most desired by VHS collectors.
The uncommon nature and lower supply of these early 1980s releases are often due to the extraordinarily high retail prices of these tapes. One may understandably assume that copies that are nearly 40–45 years old are simply lost, damaged, and ultimately destroyed over time. However, it was common in the early 80s for retailers to charge upwards of $79.95 or more for popular titles, such as Karate Kid, Back to the Future, and The Terminator. These extraordinary price points made the barrier of entry to owning these tapes high and cost-prohibited which led to far fewer owners and circulating copies compared to the ~$10–20/tape price points and huge supplies for releases during the late 80s all the way through the early 2000s. Far from a comprehensive guide, this section aims to provide a brief overview of some of the varying packaging styles and releases popular amongst VHS collectors.
Video Rental Library VHS Tapes (~1980)
While the first commercially available films on VHS were distributed by the long-defunct Magnetic Video Corporation (1968–1982), some of the earliest films available to rent on VHS are part of the Video Rental Library offering from 20th Century Fox. It’s challenging to ascertain exactly how many films were released under this offering; however, many are incredibly difficult to track down, even online via eBay. What’s more, these specific series of tapes had matching serial numbers inscribed on stickers which could be located on the back, bottom right of the clamshell case, and on the cassette guard panel as shown above. These stickers were, in part, a protection/security mechanism for renters to ensure that the original copies of the film found their way back to the rental shops.
Finding copies with matching serial numbers still intact and legible is often quite the feat. While several films originally debuted in theatres before 1980 make up the Video Rental Library line, the first rental offering of Star Wars is perhaps the most sought-after and certainly the most common. Despite being relatively easy to find online, with increased demand from Star Wars and VHS collectors alike, one can expect to pay north of $100 for this first print of Star Wars.
Warner Home Video (~1980–1985) VHS Tapes
Originally released in large cardboard boxes, the Warner Home Video VHS film offering quickly transitioned to clamshells which were released throughout the early to mid-1980s. The packaging for Warner Home Video clamshell releases is some of the most visually pleasing tapes to collect with their uniformity in packaging design on the spine and the often amazing cover art. Many films had their first retail release from Warner Home Video during this time and releases such as The Exorcist and The Shining now command a fairly hefty price tag as a result.
MGM/UA — “Big Box” and Clamshell VHS Tapes
Following the merger of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and United Artists (UA) in the middle of 1981–82, MGM distributed VHS released with MGM/UA on the packaging. Examples above include both the “big box” (left) and the likely more familiar clamshell variant (right). Provided the often exuberant initial retail costs for these films it cannot be understated how much more of a perceived premium offering the “big box” has, especially compared to standard black clamshells or traditional slipcases/slipcovers found on the majority of later releases in the 1990s — early 2000s.
“Capsule Case” or “Pillbox” VHS Tapes
The hardened plastic cases, occasionally referred to as “capsule cases” or “pillboxes” are unique as they are uncommon. These are distinguished from the much more common clamshells by a hardened plastic shell that is somewhat smaller in profile compared to the less durable clamshell.
“Big Box” and Slipcase/Slipcover VHS Tapes
Several early films originally released in the early 1980s, special releases, cartoons, and even wrestling tapes enjoyed dual offerings in both the “big box” and slipcase/slipcover varieties. A great example of the effective use for marketing on increasingly crowded shelves at video rental stores, the “big box” was certainly eye-catching and is often highly sought after by VHS collectors for obvious visual appeal and nostalgia. From a construction standpoint, these wrestling “big box” tapes differed from the MGM/UA example above and used what was essentially an oversized slipcase/slipcover while incorporating a hollowed cavity on one side to provide structural stability and prevent the crushing of the box while also expanding the design space for the larger artwork.
Screeners and For Your Consideration (FYC) VHS Tapes
Some of the seemingly lesser-discussed editions amongst VHS collectors are the screening cassettes, often referred to as “screeners”, and the “For Your Consideration” (FYC) variants. Screeners were often sent to video rental stores to persuade store owners to purchase copies of the film and in many cases have box office financial messaging and unique promotional material before the film. Another notable feature for some screeners is the use of messages that periodically flash on the bottom of the screen stating in some fashion that these specific copies are for promotional use only. While not ideal for watching the film, the messages do have a certain charm knowing that you may very well be watching a tape that played on loop at a local mom-and-pop video rental store or even at your local Blockbuster.
FYC copies were originally sent to Academy Members and the films themselves usually came in rather generic packaging that was sometimes unique compared to the screener and the official retail releases. Occasionally, these films came in packaged sets with letters, promotional pictures, and on rare occasions with several other films, such as the case for the popular film, Braveheart and others as shown above.
VHS Imports
Obvious printed language differences on the cover art are clear indicators of the region in which your tape was originally released. While age-restriction codes are commonly used on more modern media, such as DVDs-4K, age-rating systems were largely non-existent in the early days of VHS in North America. However, this was not always the case in other regions. For example, the red, circular British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) followed by the age recommendation (15 or 18) symbols are a clear indicator as highlighted with the House films shown here.
Last Movies Released on VHS
The last movie released on VHS was The History of Violence on March 14th, 2006. However, much to the surprise of non-collectors and collectors alike, several films also had a release on VHS around this time leading up to the inevitable closure of this period in home video entertainment history. Provided below is a list of major motion pictures that enjoyed a VHS release in 2006.
- History of Violence (New Line) — March 14th, 2006
- Jarhead (Universal) — March 7th, 2006
- Just Friends (New Line) — March 6th, 2006
- Lady and the Tramp: 50th Anniversary Edition (Disney) — February 28th, 2006
- The Ice Harvest (Universal) — February 28th, 2006
- Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (Sony) — February 21st, 2006
- Domino (New Line) — February 21st, 2006
- Zathura: A Space Adventure (Sony) — February 14th, 2006
- Saw II (Lionsgate) — February 14th, 2006
- Waiting… (Lionsgate) — February 7th, 2006
- My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade (Paramount) — February 7th, 2006
- Just Like Heaven (Dreamworks) — February 7th, 2006
- Elizabethtown (Paramount) — February 7th, 2006
- Doom (Universal) — February 7th, 2006
- Tom and Jerry: 50th Birthday Classics (Warner) — February 7th, 2006
- Bambi II (Disney) — (Disney) — February 7th, 2006
- Pride & Prejudice (Universal) — February 2006
- The Legend of Zorro (Sony) — January 31st, 2006
- The River King (First Look) — January 24th, 2006
- The Fog (Sony) — January 24th, 2006
- Lord of War (Lionsgate) — January 18th, 2006
- Two for the Money (Universal) — January 17th, 2006
- The Man (New Line) — January 17th, 2006
- The Constant Gardener (Universal) — January 10th, 2006
- Holly Hobbie and Friends: Surprise Party (Paramount) — January 10th, 2006
- Wedding Crashers (New Line) — January 3rd, 2006
- My Date with Drew (First Look) — January 3rd, 2006
- The Gospel (Sony) — January 3rd, 2006
- The Cave (Sony) — January 3rd, 2006
- Broken Flowers (Universal) — January 3rd, 2006
- The Aristocrats (ThinkFilm) — January 2006
