Why VHS and Beta as Collectibles?
By Chris Donaldson & Ethan Sarezky
Hold on just a second, if you don’t mind.
Let me see if I understand this correctly. People are collecting old video tapes?
You can’t mean those dusty, plastic bricks that old guys used to watch movies on when they were kids. You can’t mean… VHS!
Yes, VHS; the videos with the terrible picture quality. The tapes that you had to rewind after each viewing, lest you be designated “Unkind” by your local video rental store. The beat-up boxes in a Jenga-like stack, teetering in the far corner of every third-rate flea market. The ones priced at a quarter apiece just so the seller can save himself a trip to the landfill.
VHS as a collectible… have you gone mad, sir?
Why in the world would I waste my claw-machine quarters on VHS? Granted, I never get anything out of the claw machine (don’t get me wrong, I remain optimistic). More specifically, why would I waste my hard-earned cash on something that is a dime a dozen.
The answer is that sometimes things are a dime a dozen… until they aren’t.
Let’s explore that concept with an example. For instance, take the movie, “Halloween.” We can all agree that John Carpenter’s slasher opus remains one of the most iconic movies in cinema. Killer poster art, an unforgettable theme and a frightmare of a plot. Maybe you have a personal connection to the film that engendered a phobic fear of William Shatner. That’s what it did to George Takei. Anyway, we can agree that a nice copy of Halloween would be an amazing display and conversation piece for anyone to own.
So, let’s start there. We’ve decided we want to own a VHS copy of Halloween to display over by the graded comics or games on the “collection shelf”.
Simple, right? …Well, let’s find out.
A cursory glance at eBay should do the trick.
There we go! Thousands of Halloween VHS tapes for sale. Pretty simple, if you ask me.
Some copies cost only a few dollars in addition to a meager shipping fee. You’re probably thinking to yourself… tons of copies, no real market, all supply - no demand. It’s just NOT rare, right?
WRONG!
A myriad of variances between these copies differentiate one from another. Since we want the nicest copy we can get, let’s start adding some search parameters.
First, we are going to look at our wide selection with the idea that we only want a factory-sealed copy. In VHS and Beta, sealed tapes are more desirable and collectible.
BOOM goes the dynamite!
The screen doesn’t look the same anymore. That simple search knocks off about 85% of the results right off the bat.
Now, we are down to maybe eighty listed copies of factory-sealed Halloween VHS tapes. Obviously, still a lot, but this is where it gets fun.
We can end the search right here and purchase a factory-sealed copy of Halloween printed in the 1990s or 2000s. With a little luck, we may only be looking at an investment somewhere in the $25-$100 range. However, that’s probably not the investment we want to make. You will discover that the later prints of Halloween are still cool, but relatively common.
Wait, prints with an “S”? As in plural?
Yes, much like comic books and video games, many of the most desirable VHS and Beta tapes were printed in waves. The first were distributed to video stores about a year after their theatrical releases. As a film ages, it may receive multiple print runs. Halloween has tons. Widescreen releases, digital sound releases, you name it. However, as collectors we see that the earlier the print, the rarer the print.
So, now things have changed for us a bit. As collectors and investors, we are now on the hunt for the earliest print of Halloween- known in the hobby as a “first print”.
So, let’s eliminate all the 1990s and newer tapes from our search.
Wait a second, now. This is getting good. With our new search, FAR fewer prints pop up, don’t they?
Time to buy?
No sir: we came for the best copy, we are not remotely finished here!
Lucky for us, we’ve done our research, and we know that there is an amazing 1981 copy in a black slipcase from Media Entertainment. Go ahead, run our search, partner! Now that we are zeroing in on a true super-rare printing of Halloween, what did you find?
Did you even find one?
Forget finding one for sale; did you even find a SOLD listing?!
Probably not. Why, though?
A sealed 1981 Media Halloween is an incredibly tough find. It can be done, of course- they exist. However, in all the years I’ve spent in the hobby, I’ve seen maybe… four. That’s right, only four. These would make a superb addition to any collection.
So out of the thousands of tapes in our original Halloween search, we are now discovering that almost none were anything close to what we are looking for. We are now looking at a 0-result search for a tape with a known population in the single digits. I wouldn’t even want to know how much it would take to pry a copy from an owner's hands. Now, that's F***ing rare, right there!
Now… let me really blow your mind.
This isn’t even the first print!
There was an earlier Halloween print released in a yellow-edged 1979 Media Box.
You can search for it if you like, but don’t hold your breath. The only known copy of the 1979 Halloween was a beautiful Betamax copy that sold in the five-figure range.
Attaining a 1979 sealed Halloween print is a near-impossible task, but also an incredibly thrilling one for a collector. Well, at least for the one collector who was successful so far.
This is one hobby where some of the holy grails are about as rare as, well, The Holy Grail.
Okay, article over! I think I’ve properly explained the rarity and desirability of first prints, and I wish you the best of luck finding one.
Except… that’s STILL NOT the first print.
In 1978, Meda (the precursor to Media) entered the burgeoning VHS market with a series of now iconic VHS and Beta tapes. The prints boasted a striking, yellow-edged case bordering the cover art, with the now awe-inspiring MEDA logo.
Now, I dare you to find a sealed 1978 MEDA Halloween VHS. In fact, try finding an equally elusive BETA issue. Good luck. This thing is as rare as rare gets.
There are 0 (zero) known sealed VHS or BETA first prints of the MEDA Halloween.
In Comic Books, I suppose the closest equivalent to a Halloween first print would be Action Comics #1 or Detective Comics #27. These books go for millions in desirable grades. Even in ‘beat to hell’ condition (the official term, of course) the books command multiple hundreds of thousands. As a big comic book guy, this is great. It’s an indication of comic books receiving their just do. The excitement is warranted as comics have a massive appeal and a significant collecting history.
Action Comics #1 is extremely rare… but compared to many factory-sealed VHS it is utterly common.
There are approximately 100 known copies of Action Comics #1 in various conditions. There are only 75 known copies of Detective Comics #27. The point being that if you have the money- you can own one. It won’t be cheap, but money won’t stop you from attaining your goal.
Can you say the same thing about one of the pinnacle tapes of the sealed VHS hobby?
Let me interject here. “No” is the answer.
We started this little adventure with the simple task of owning a Halloween VHS tape. It’s one of the most popular movies in history. Thus, it may be a shock to discover that there is a strong chance no matter how much money you have to spend, you may never even SEE a first print copy of Halloween, let alone own one.
And THIS is why I love this hobby. The rarity, the tapes… and the hunt is everything!
Everyone has a favorite movie.
My father was a huge “Wild Bunch” fan. My best friend Matt? He’s all about Friday the 13th Part 3. My older brother? Star Wars all the way. Ask anyone about their favorite movies and most will have a laundry list of interesting films that truly mean something to them. Movies are important: everyone has a moment when a film touched them in some deep and profound way. (Editor’s Note: For me, it’s when I found ‘Deep Throat’ in my dad’s college stuff).
When I made the connection that I could combine my two favorite hobbies (watching movies and collecting rare copies of them) fireworks lit up in my brain. They singed my synapses, but I’m okay, thanks for your concern. As a true collector at heart, sealed VHS appealed to me on a deep, structural level. I instantly developed a drive to collect the rarest copies of my favorite films, and to uncover the next great VHS previously thought to be lost to time.
Fun fact: I have always loved the movie, “Revenge of the Nerds”. Once again, there are tons of factory-sealed copies of this movie to be found. However, finding a first print from 86 with back white CBS/Fox Watermarks is surprisingly difficult (but not remotely impossible). Add in the fact that even in this nascent stage of the hobby, I’m not the only collector trying to add a copy to my collection. That kind of scenario very quickly raises the price. Who knew?
There are so many VHS and BETA movies like this; the hobby is truly full of treasures. A 1982 Star Wars first print broke six figures at Goldin Auctions. The first prints of the Rocky movies have sold for tens of thousands and are some of the most desired tapes in the hobby. The Goonies first print has touched mid five-figures as mass nostalgia drives a demand that can never be sated by the scant supply.
Superman draws in a vast array of collectors from other hobbies seeking a sealed copy and prices of later prints increase significantly in the process. Horror VHS collectors are some of the most hardcore around, and they are in a hobby where there is only one known first print of “The Thing” and one known first print of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
From the first Magnetic Video to the last commercial VHS (A History of Violence) and the last exclusive VHS (“Cars”) collectors embark on a thrilling hunt for the rarest and earliest prints of their favorite films.
A tape doesn’t even have to be a grail to become someone’s treasure!
Hell, even “Uncle Buck” is sought after by many collectors who can’t wait to display one in a graded slab on their shelf. Because it means something to them. This is a hobby that brings the best of cinema to the best of collectibles. A treasure hunt with no borders and thousands of incredible prizes to be had.
After collecting for a while you’ll discover that certain company’s tapes are so deadly rare that no matter what the title, it becomes a feat just to own any movie they put out (I’m looking at you Magnetic Video and WCI). There are also a multitude of different strategies with which to collect…
Some people go after all their favorite Horror movies and discover how many insane titles they never even knew existed.
I know a few collectors who collect sealed tapes for their poster art exclusively.
One can go after all the biggest Betamax titles (equally hard to find). I personally had to own every David Lynch movie in the earliest print I could get. Finding an actual sealed first print of Eraserhead is still one of my favorite moments in a lifetime of collecting. I felt like I’d found a piece of history no one else had seen in 40 years.
I know collectors who are attempting to find the biggest actors first appearances on VHS. My favorite example of this is Leonardo DiCaprio in the little-known “Critters 3”. Or maybe Denzel in “Carbon Copy”? How about Tom Cruise in “Endless Love”?
If you find the more modern tapes too common for your taste, then you can instead collect sealed promo, advance, or Academy screeners. In that world, one quickly discovers true rarity in modern movies you might think would be an easy find. Simply put, this hobby is growing, and there are endless possibilities for a collector's approach.
I’m going to end this article with a dare.
I dare you to go out and hunt down your favorite movie, doesn’t matter what it is. I don’t care if it’s “Blade Runner”, “Deer Hunter” or even “Dumb and Dumber”. Go hunt it down. Take your time. Find a cool version, or your favorite print of that movie. Get it mailed to you and hold it in your hands. Look at the seal on it. Feel the weight of it. Enjoy the cover artwork and then put it up on your shelf so you can appreciate and admire it.
I bet it won’t be the last VHS you buy.
