Rare And Valuable VHS
The criteria for what makes a VHS valuable or not is kind of all over the place.
However, there are some categories that are better to go sifting for gold in. Particularly old horror, Disney black diamond editions, nostalgic classics, and oddball limited editions. Anyone who has a few of these (still in the plastic wrapping) might find themselves with enough to hand over a down-payment for a house.
Hunchback of Notre Dame
People have asked $1,500 plus for a mint copy of The Hatchback.
Why? Probably because collectors know this is an underrated movie that didn't fly off the shelves like other titles. The rarity ups the value.
Star Wars Rental Edition
When this classic exploded all over the box office, the first VHS tapes were for rental only.
This is because the company thought that most people couldn't afford to buy one outright - at least on the prices they wanted to charge. While a home-edition is worth a log, if someone has one of those rental version still in the plastic wrapping, it could fetch over $3,500!
Cinderella
When VHS tapes were starting to be a thing, Disney was hesitant to jump onboard.
This is mostly because they wanted people to spend money in theatres rather than being able to watching over and over again in their own home. But when they finally came round, the only released titles in small batches. So, if you have anything that's super old - like Cinderella - that's from one of these early releases, they've been known to go for over $5,000
Super Mario Brothers
The value of a VHS tape doesn't usually have anything to do with cinematic quality.
A good example is The Super Mario Brothers movie. Nintendo fans will scoop this up whenever they can. The poor acting, astray creative licence, and cringy special effects put it in the "it's so bad, it's good" genre. Prices vary, but it's still worth looking into.
Sleeping Beauty
Another classic.
This one falls in the same category of Snow White - where Disney didn't want people watching endlessly at home, where they could be spending in a movie theatre instead. It's also just a wonderful classic.
Omen
Horror, horror, horror - the older and rarer, the better.
Unopened? Even better. But classics like The Omen have been known to go for a few hundred dollars. Not bad. Not bad at all.
The Great Mouse Detective
$2,525.25 ... that's what it went for on eBay.
It was one of the releases that helped shaped Disney's movie Renaissance. It's also extra great because you get to listen to Vincent Price be evil and sing like there's no tomorrow.
Lemora: The Lady Dracula
Also known as Lemora: A Child's Tale Of The Unnatural.
It's about a girl kidnapped by vampires then rescued by Lemora ... a vampire. Critics and most other metrics gave it mixed reviews, but that has nothing to do with a horror collector's mission to seek out the strange and rare. One copy sold for 900 pounds.
Beauty And The Beast
The movie was a box-office success and received numerous accolades, including Best Original Song and Best Original Score at the Academy Awards.
Priced at $15,000 on eBay, the Black Diamond VHS is the 1992 original copy that was released after the movie's theater run which would make it pretty valuable.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Baron falls into more than one "value" category.
Not only is it wonderfully oddball and quite old, but it also has a very young Uma Thurman before she made it big. Another familiar face is Robin Williams. Because it checks off many of the important boxes, it can go for an estimated $2,500 if you find the right, passionate collection.
The Littler Mermaid
This one is obvious to most people, but for anyone who's lived under a rock, there is one edition in particular that still fetches a pretty penny.
It's the unopened, black diamond, first release of The Little Mermaid where the artist hid something in the background and no one noticed until it was too late and already in circulation. Heehee.
WCW Bash At The Beach
While the last Bash At The Beach before WCW was bought by WWE, was in 2000, and is worth a pretty penny, that's not the only hidden gem.
You'll find a lot of the old wrestling tapes are worth a fortune to the right bidder. Fans and collectors will salivate over the old-style smackdowns.
The Rescuers 1&2
These are a bit all over the place.
Some have gone for a few hundred, but other days they'll only fetch around 50 bucks. However, find an unopened demo version ... and wow, better hang on to that for dear life.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
What's not to love about the adorably ugly and waddling alien?
It's up there with many other classics - where an unopened copy will put around $200 in your pocket. Granted, it's not in the thousands, but it's nothing to turn your nose up at. There are also bonus value points for having Drew Barrymore at the start of her career.
The Jungle Book
Yep, another Disney. But it's no surprise that they take up a large amount of real-estate in the VHS market.
A decent copy of the Jungle Book has been known to go for over $800.
Sword In The Stone
"Why, they might even make a motion picture about you. That's something like television... heh-heh... without commercials."
What's not to love about this one? It's so adored that one eBay seller put an unopened, mint condition one on sale for $1,500.
The Pterodactyl Woman From Beverly Hills
Do you know what sold on eBay for $2799?
A story of when witchdoctor Salvador Dali puts a hex on Dixie Chandler, the wife of a paleontologist who discovered a dinosaur egg on an excavation, which slowly turns her into a carnivorous pterodactyl which goes on to intimidate the community at large. Yeah... that.
Snow White
It's zero surprise to see this one on the list.
Disney’s 1994 Masterpiece Collection version of this legendary film can easily bring in a G if it’s in fair condition. But it's also worth noting that unopened doesn't always mean the film inside hasn't started to color-bleed. Make sure it's 100% sealed.
Winnie The Pooh
This might not be a surprise to see this one - there are heffalumps and woozles after all.
However, this one stands out because the Spanish dubbed version is what will make people reach for their wallets. One copy went for $1025 on eBay!