[MOPO] Aw: Re: [MOPO] Grading VHS Tapes

Helmut Hamm Sat, 06 Jan 2024 07:11:58 -0800

VHS tapes have always been collectible, but it is a market that has been widely ignored by outsiders for a long time.

Apparently, VHS collecting is not limited to sealed tapes: A few years ago I spoke to a collector who complained about the vast number or FAKE VHS paper inlays. To that day, I was not aware VHS covers were collectible at all, but apparently the market is big enough that it makes sense to counterfeit the most desirable ones. Live and learn.

As to the movie poster market: Personally, I can't share Rich's pessimism. Yes, the market is changing. And yes, Buck Jones once was at the top of the movie poster food chain. As was William S. Hart and a few others. On the other hand, I still remember a leading dealer loudly proclaiming that 1980s posters will NEVER be worth any money...

I pretty much built my business from scratch, with no money to speak of. I quit my day job in 1999 and have made my living exclusively from selling movie posters ever since. I have hardly sold anything at auction in the last 15 years, and I closed my ebay shop several years ago and never looked back. Between the brick-and-mortar shop and the website I'm still doing fine. There are a number of dealers out there who have proven that it is perfectly possible to get rich selling movie posters. Too bad, I'm not one of them. But frankly, that was never really part of the plan. Like anybody else, I was affected by the Covid lockdown. I actually liked it and I am opening by appointment only ever since. Also, two years ago I turned the showroom into my private exhibition space, so nothing that is on display is for sale. I always wanted to have a shop where you can't buy anything, so that is fun.

In a word: For the last 25 years, this business has paid my rent, has put food on my table and paid for quite a few extravagancies. What more could I possibly ask for?

Helmut

www.filmposter.net

Gesendet: Donnerstag, 04. Januar 2024 um 06:18 Uhr
Von: "Sean Linkenback" <[email protected]>
An: [email protected]
Betreff: Re: [MOPO] Grading VHS Tapes

Cool - an actual discussion on MoPo instead of more dealer ads.

So to answer Kirby's original question, Freeman was talking about gaming cartridges as collectibles and compared them to the beauty of a Buck Jones or Gloria Swanson poster.

There is no doubt that Buck Jones glory days as a collectible poster are well in the past, with prices peaking probably 30 years ago. Swanson may have peaked later, but also on a downward trend. Take a look at a Buck Jones 1-sheet like South of the Rio Grande, every time Bruce has sold one over the past 30 years the price has drifted downward. You can buy one now for well less than half what it sold for in the 90s. Does anyone honestly expect that to change?

Look at ebay listings for movie posters compared to gaming cartridges (and even VHS now that they have been thrown into the conversation).

There are currently over 675,000 movie poster listings on ebay, with 63,000 sold. VHS turns up over 1.6 million searches with over 210,000 sold (not a one from Heritage I don't believe Peter), and gaming cartridges an incredible 4 million listings with over 600,000 sold.

Plus look at the sales prices! In just a short(?) amount of time, there have been VHS sales for higher than Bruce has ever sold a movie poster, and gaming cartridge prices can make VHS look cheap.

Don't get me wrong, I still love movie paper more than any of the other categories (and back it up with paying silly prices for what I collect). But if I was buying just for collectibles sake I'd rather have the gaming cartridges (or maybe Magic the Gathering or Pokemon cards).

On Wed, Jan 3, 2024 at 9:16 PM peter contarino <[email protected]> wrote:

I was being generous using the word “create” Rich. HNY!

On Wednesday, January 3, 2024, Richard Halegua MPB.auction <[email protected]> wrote:

but they didn't create the VHS market, not by any measure. they just jumped on the bandwagon.

On 1/3/2024 5:27 PM, peter contarino wrote:

WATA you talking about Rich. Ha is an extremely creative company.

Peter

On Wednesday, January 3, 2024, Richard Halegua MPB.auction <[email protected]> wrote:

Peter, I rarely disagree with you, but I disagree with you here.
Heritage did not create this market. VHS tapes were getting a lot of money before HA ever entered the field.

HA is reactive, not creative. They saw a burgeoning market, and they joined in to the hobby, because after all - they are a hobby auction site, and there was already a lot of money on the table

the most valuable VHS is a disney Beauty & the Beast tape, which sold for almost a quarter mil years before HA ever looked at VHS collecting

that Youtube video is total bullshit

If HA was able to create a market as you think, then movie posters would be going crazy, which we both know is not the case, unfortunately.

Rich

On 1/3/2024 2:20 PM, peter contarino wrote:

Scott the reason some people are buying these is because heritage is “creating” a market for them.
And people are stupid.

On Wednesday, January 3, 2024, Scott Burns <[email protected]> wrote:

Surely not *all* VHS tapes are gaining in value.

If that’s really true perhaps it’s time for me to rethink my plan to give them away to some youngster in a VHS Facebook group rather than sitting them out with the trash. I have boxes of the blasted things, including those that belonged to my parents. Plus boxes of home-recorded VHS tapes dating back to the very early 1980’s. And let’s not even mention the boxes of Laserdiscs and LP’s…with a few cassettes and 45’s, too. (Sorry no 8-tracks! 😊)

I can’t imagine why anyone would want old lousy picture quality VHS tapes. Even harder to imagine is someone shelling out much cash for them. There really is a sucker born….well you know the rest.

Scott

From: MoPo List <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Rich Halegua MPB.auction
Sent: Wednesday, January 3, 2024 3:49 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Grading VHS Tapes

Kirby

posters are static in value, or worse, declining. it's a small hobby, younger people don't really care, and much of what more modern audiences want in posters are too cheap to bother with.

on the other hand, vhs & video games are ascendant & the auctions beat poster auction totals hands-down.

it's purely a money equation, that posters are dying, and vhs are gaining

Rich

On 1/3/2024 8:36 AM, Kirby McDaniel wrote:

Why?

Kirby McDaniel

On Jan 2, 2024, at 11:39 PM, Sean Linkenback <[email protected]> wrote:

I've seen Buck Jones posters and owned Gloria Swanson posters - I think I'd rather have the gaming cartridges if we are looking at them as collectibles.

On Tue, Jan 2, 2024 at 10:29 PM Freeman Fisher <[email protected]> wrote:

Glenn,

CGC is grading video cassettes.

Here is a link:

https://www.cgchomevideo.com/

I am still suspect of them as a collectible, but there are people out there with stupid money, proven by some of the prices for Gaming cartridges.

A new generation…………who have never had the joy of seeing a quality stone litho of a Columbia Buck Jones poster or a Gloria Swanson from Paramount

Who am i kidding, they’ve never heard of Gloria Swanson or Buck Jones.

Freeman Fisher

On Jan 2, 2024, at 6:49 PM, Glenn Taranto <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello All -

I have a, still mostly sealed, VHS tape from the original video release of BATMAN (1989). It was the first tape released in LA at the Sunset Blvd Tower Records location. There's way more to this story but the point is...

Where is the best place to get a VHS tape graded and how much does it cost?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Happy, Healthy and Successful New Year to all -

Glenn

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[MOPO] Aw: Re: [MOPO] Grading VHS Tapes

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