Nine hugely valuable VHS tapes you might own
VHS tapes were all-but wiped out from the average household when DVDs and blu-rays were introduced back in 1997-2000, but the tapes have now been away just about long enough to inspire some nostalgia.
Despite most popular movies’ availability on DVD, online or streaming services, VHS tapes have become increasingly valuable over the past few years—so much so that Yale University’s Sterling Library began a VHS collection in October 2015.
Here are come surprisingly valuable VHS tapes that you might want to dig through your old boxes for.
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Tales from the Quadead Zone
Value: up to $2000
Often referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the VHS world, this 1987 trilogy of horror movies could fetch up to 1,000 times more than the movie’s actual production value.
World Class Championship (WCW) Bash at the Beach 2000
Value: up to $600
Fans are falling over themselves to get hold of the rarest wrestling VHS ever released – pulled from the shelves due to Hulk Hogan suing WCW and only released in Canada – which can sell for several hundred dollars if its in unopened mint condition.
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Last House on Dead End Street
Value: $400-500
Sun Video originally released several versions of this film and ever since avid film collectors and fans have been trying to collect them all, pushing it to become a highly valuable video.
Star Trek Next Generation
Value: up to $500
People who have dedicated half their storage to an entire original VHS series of Star Trek can breathe a sigh of relief that they made a wise choice – the collection is listed on ebay for anything up to $500 depending on their condition, with previous sales are reported to be around $350.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Value: up to $500
It’s not just horror and banned movies which have can fetch a surprising amount of cash, the Disney black diamond Beauty and the Beast VHS in new condition is under huge demand from collectors.
Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals
Value: up to $380
When it comes to international and foreign language films, competition for next-generation format preservation by U.S. production companies is fierce, especially if a large number of fans haven’t been howling for it.
Those wanting to enjoy programming like Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals are prepared to pay big bucks for the VHS.
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Disney’s The Little Mermaid
Value: $195+
Another Disney classic makes the list of valuable VHS tapes, but only the rare recalled version with the ‘phallic’castle cover.
Delirium
Value: $150+
Any video nasties that were banned, or heavily scrutinized, are particularly valuable because of their rarity.
For example, an original copy of the banned 1979 Delirium (aka Psycho puppet) can easily fetch $150 for a used version, and even more for an unwrapped one in pristine condition.
Brotherhood of Death
Value: $76+
Classic exploitation and Blaxploitation titles often gather a lot of interest from investors – for example, even a former rental store copy of the Blaxploitation classic Brotherhood of Death could set you back $76.