While VHS is pretty much a dead medium now, there are special editions of certain tapes that can fetch ridiculous amounts of money. Because VHS tapes are hardly made anymore, there are some movies which are incredibly difficult to find in the format, with just a few hundred copies to their names. For example, due to the controversial nature of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, its VHS distribution was slim. These days, copies of the film on VHS fetch around $300 or more. That’s a lot of money to watch a movie in a low-quality format…
While that sounds like a lot, that’s nothing compared to the most coveted and expensive VHS tapes of all time. Coming in at third place is a Black Diamond release of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, which can be purchased for no less than $10,000. If you fancy spending $30,000 more than that, you can find a rare copy of E.T the Extra-Terrestrial. With a starting price of $40,000, this version of Steven Spielberg’s movie can be found listed as the ‘20th Foil Holographic Anniversary Limited Edition’.
Taking the top spot, however, is a surprising movie. The Goonies, a beloved family-friendly classic, has the ability to reel in a ridiculously large sum of money when purchased on VHS. An unopened copy of the film was once available on eBay with an asking price of $125,000, which seems to make it the most expensive VHS of all time.
The black diamond thing is an internet myth. It’s easy to disprove. Just go to eBay and look for black diamond Disney films on VHS. There will be some listed for thousands of dollars, but if you sort by sold you’ll see that they’re really selling for a couple dollars each. Maybe there was one that was unopened and in pristine condition that sold for that much, but it’s unlikely that the one you found at the thrift store is worth any more than what they’re selling it for.
nokturne213@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
Is that the price they are actually selling for? Or just the asking price?
1D10@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
The real most expensive vhs is of my first wedding, I’m willing to sell it for $300,000.
(Disclaimer: it was destroyed in a flood and thrown away and now resides in a landfill. However upon receiving the $300,000 I will send you a receipt stating that you own it.)
Garbanzo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
If I give you $300,000,000 for it would you be willing to mint an NFT that links to a webpage that says I own the tape?
xyzzy@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
It’s asking price. The author apparently went to eBay, sorted by price descending, and then wrote an article as if people were actually paying that much.