BY LEE PFEIFFER
Collectors of vintage, toys, records and comic books have a common refrain: "I had that and my mother threw it out!". You couldn't really blame mom for valuing an uncluttered closet over what appeared to be a bunch of useless junk. Of course, history has proven mom was wrong with all sorts of vintage collectibles now bringing eye-popping prices on the auction circuit. But VHS tapes???? Who'd a thunk it. In fact, some of them have been selling for tens of thousands of dollars, as reported by Cortney Moore in the New York Post. Even those who have been attuned to the value of collectibles might be shocked by this. VHS tapes were once the answer to movie fans' prayers. At last, we were freed from having to watch censored and butchered TV network broadcasts of our favorite films. The phenomenon took off in the early 1980s and serious collectors would lay out about $75 to buy their favorite film. Most people were content to rent titles from the mom-and-pop businesses that pioneered the rental market before being squashed by big-name video store chains. Soon came the next advancement: laser discs. They were pricey and appealed primarily to hardcore movie lovers, who relished the fact that you could see a superior picture in its original aspect ratio. Alas, laser discs were short-lived and begat DVDs which begat Blu-rays and now streaming. So, many movie lovers understandably dumped their worthless VHS libraries by donating them to thrift stores and just tossing them away. Guess what? There's now a booming market for certain VHS tapes in top-grade condition. We're not talking about old Pauly Shore comedies, but titles such as "Star Wars" and "Jaws". Millions were sold but millions ended up being destroyed over the years. A recent top grade VHS of "Star Wars" recently sold for more than $57,000. An original "Jaws" VHS sold for more than $10,000 and certain distinctive Disney titles also sell for thousands. As with pricey baseball cards and comic books, rare VHS editions can now be professionally graded for the auction market. To be clear, most VHS titles are worthless...but before you throw out any, you might want to check their value. This time you can't blame mom.
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