VHS tapes trigger a new collecting frenzy

Long relegated to an obscure corner of the collectibles market, VHS tapes have been fetching eye-popping prices at auctions in recent months, thanks to nostalgia and an appetite for new investment opportunities.

At a sale by Heritage Auctions in June, a "Back to the Future" videocassette went for $75,000, while "The Goonies" and "Jaws" copies were sold for $50,000 and $32,500, respectively.

Videotape collectors have been around since the late 1970s, when the format was first introduced, but these days most "VHS tapes are worth next to nothing," according to John, from Newmarket in Canada, who claims to have sold around 3,000 of them over span of more than 20 years.

"You'll be lucky to get $5 each," says this active eBay user, who declined to give his last name.
Until recently, only some movies that hadn't been released online or on other medium, as well as little known horror movies, could command higher prices, sometimes above $1,000.

But this new trend is mostly focused on blockbuster titles, particularly from the early 80s. To be deemed valuable, a tape has to meet some specific criteria, with a premium put on first editions and sealed copies. A limited edition, such as a larger box version of "Star Wars," would also draw interest.
The George Lucas sci-fi cult classic is widely considered a must-have and several copies have already been sold for over $10,000.

The Holy Trinity could be movies from the first slate ever released on the U.S. market in 1977, namely "MASH," "Patton" and "The Sound of Music," by a financially troubled 20th Century Fox with Magnetic Video.
Jay Carlson, VHS Consignment director at Heritage Auctions, said these could reach "a six-digit number, maybe seven."
Many long-time collectors are...