By Vaishali Varu
In Features
VHS tapes ruled supreme from their invention in 1976 until the DVD takeover in the late 1990s. Back in the day, your media library was all about those sacred VHS tapes that you’d collect, requiring you to dedicate vast cupboards of space to store them. However, these days, we are spoiled for choice. At the click of a button, you can pick and choose from hundreds of movies and TV shows on streaming platforms.
Moreover, anyone who still has their collection of VHS videos from the 70s and 80s could be sitting on a blockbuster treasure trove. The most collectible “classic” VHS movies—like Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Ghostbusters—could be worth $25,000 on vintage movie auction sites or even more. A sealed copy of The Goonies (1986 release) sold for a shocking $125,000, according to industry experts.
Consequently, if you have any unopened videos still in their wrapper tucked away in the attic or in storage, it’s worth checking how much they are selling for at auctions these days. You are far more likely to get a better price for an unopened, packaged videotape than for a used one.
The Value of VHS Auctions
VHS auctions are still relatively rare. However, as experts have discovered, the few that are around are worth looking into—especially if you’re sitting on a pile of hit movies like Star Wars, The Goonies, Superman, and Rambo.
Classic movie auction specialists, Texas-based Heritage Auctions, are renowned for auctioning off collectibles and holding VHS sales. They emphasize, “Most VHS tapes are only worth a dollar at a garage sale. But a few rare, unopened, vintage VHS tapes with studio watermarks can sell for more than $10,000.”
Why Are VHS Tapes Collectible?
There is a rise in collectors, particularly those in their thirties, forties, and fifties, who grew up watching these movies and are now driving the value up, similar to the increase in popularity of vinyl in the music industry. Formats that had been overlooked for years have regained a place in popular culture. Furthermore, since VHS tapes are no longer being produced, certain copies have become increasingly rare—especially if they are unopened and in mint condition.
Heritage Auctions showcases the case of Rocky videotapes that were the “centerpieces” of their 2023 VHS event. A time capsule created by a father for his son on Christmas Day in 1982 turned out to hold three Rocky films on VHS, all found in original sealed condition. As a result, these tapes were valued at around $25,000 each.
Other recent sales at Heritage Auctions have gone for thousands of dollars; for instance, Superman Beta (1980) sold for $40,000, Star Wars (1983) sold for $32,500, and The Goonies (1986) VHS sold for $50,000.
Is Your Old VHS Movie Worth Money?
The most sellable VHS tapes are those released between 1977 and 1990 and still in their original factory shrink wrap.
What’s Valuable
- Blockbuster films from the late 1970s – 1980s, released on VHS prior to the 1990s
- 1980s horror films
- Sealed tapes with a studio watermark
- Some early Disney copies released in the early to mid-1980s, like Tron, The Black Hole, and collections of early Disney cartoon shorts
What’s Not Valuable
- Most Disney animated films, e.g. The Lion King, Aladdin, and Snow White
- Most opened, used VHS tapes.
- DVDs and Blu-Rays
Therefore, if you’re considering selling your childhood memorabilia, check with auction outlets to find out what they will buy and the current selling prices. Your “old junk” might just turn out to be worth a fortune!
