I am wondering how many VHS tape collectors we have here and approximately how many tapes do you own or did you own in the past?
I only started collecting VHS recently (inspired in part by aTomiK).
I have been visiting thrift stores and snapping them up real cheap because I guess they are somewhat obsolete and nobody wants them.
The best deal I got so far was 2 for 50 cents. So I walked out of there with 12 videos for 3 bucks! The people in the stores look at me like I am insane for buying them but hey.
I have approximately 50 now. I have got about 10 more that are golf tapes.
How many have other people got VHS collections going?
aTomiK. Approximately how many have you got? I suspect this is going to be a scary answer.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
aTomiK here, guilty as charged
Seriously, it´s so cool that you´ve started collecting vhs stuff. Last time i counted my vhs collection was back in february 2015 because someone on this finnish site wanted to know. So, few months ago i had 1595 original vhs tapes and i even checked out when the films were made.
Here´s the list:
50s films 3 tapes 60s films 6 tapes 70s films 80 tapes 80s films 1194 tapes 90s films 312 tapes
During the last few months i´ve bought/got approximately 70 more so it´s over 1650 now. Scary indeed Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
Wow! That's heaps.
Perhaps you could have a room with stands and isles so you can browse through like wen you are at a video store.
That would be cool.
You're VCR must get quite a workout.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
U know, that would be cool.
I´m constantly changing from vcr to dvd to blu-ray and watch movies with different machines so they do get some rest
Now i need to dig up few obscure vhs horror films because Halloween is getting closer...
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
Hey Bernie. I love topics about vhs and collecting. Thanx for bringing it up! Terds been hitting the thrift stores for a decade now and in his opunion they are the best places to search for vhs. Usually priced at 99 cents. Some of the ones I frequent have 500+ videos at a time, so plenty to choose from. Geez atomik! How do you keep track of the different decades? Gotta go now but hope to be back soon.
Posted by Johnny Roarke is reckless (Member # 9826) on :
Back in the 90's, videostores were eager to get rid of their oldest tapes. You could walk into any videostore and make a deal with the owner. They were happy to sell as many tapes as possible at once. I guess they needed the space for newer video's at that time.
I got rid of most of my tapes in 2001 or 2002 when i deliberately chose to devote my time and money to collecting dvd's. I already had a large collection of vinyl records which took up lots of storage space here, so i had to make a choice.
I still have approximately 200 - 250 tapes (ex-rentals and sell-through combined), mostly European horror stuff that was hard to find and highly collectible in the 90's, but relatively easy to get on dvd nowadays. (Fulci, Argento, Bava, Franco, and Rollin for example)
I haven't touched them in years though.
Posted by joker (Member # 3840) on :
I have most of the vhs wrestling tapes. that will never see dvd do to copey right laws.
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
[QUOTE]Originally posted by joker: [QB] I have most of the vhs wrestling tapes. that will never see dvd do to copey right laws.
Hey joker, I have alot of wrestling vhs and was wondering how does a person find out if a video will not be released to DVD?
Posted by Pittsburghgirl (Member # 7514) on :
Yes I'd like to know too. I have a few wrestling tapes. We still have a Betamax player from my husband's childhood years, along with about 10-12 Beta movies. One of the movies is Slap Shot!
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
Pittsburghgirl. Which ones do you have. And is the beta quality better than vhs.
[ 20. October 2015, 10:01: Message edited by: TerdNthePoolGGB ]
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
This might sound funny but I reckon if you played the average person a beta or VHS tape and said you were just chucking on a DVD - they would not know the difference - obviously the tape has to be in very good condition (a poor quality tape will show up with lines etc) and obviously don't rewind or fast forward the tape in front of them.
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bernie_Lomax: This might sound funny but I reckon if you played the average person a beta or VHS tape and said you were just chucking on a DVD - they would not know the difference - obviously the tape has to be in very good condition (a poor quality tape will show up with lines etc) and obviously don't rewind or fast forward the tape in front of them.
Yeah perhaps if it was Stevie wonder or someone but I think you might be pretty hard pushed otherwise Bernie!
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bernie_Lomax: don't rewind or fast forward the tape in front of them.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
I dunno dude. A brand new VHS tape plays with pretty god quality and despite popular opinion, a standard DVD (not blu ray) in my opinion is not much better quality. Obviously if you compare a DVD with a tape from 1986 that was an ex rental this experiment would not work, but I would bet that it would with a brand new VHS tape.
I would be interested in carrying out this experiment. But think about it. Imagine that you just bought a brand new VHS Ghostbusters tape and you are watching it and your mate comes and sits down on the couch and asks what you are doing and you say I just thought I would watch the Ghostbusters DVD that I picked up earlier. So now bearing in mind it's a new tape - I doubt that he would think twice about it.
Perhaps nobody will agree with me but I am confident many people would not notice (and again I stress that the tape must be either new or in very good/excellent condition) and obviously the VCR can not be visible to them either.
Today on VHS I picked up:
Raiders of the Lost Ark Teen Wolf Under Siege You Only Live Twice - that would suit me Boomerang The Fox and the Hound - not rewound. Ubelievable
I still remember seeing Teen Wolf at the cinema in 85. I was only 4.
Anyone else pick up some good VHS or other formats lately?
[ 11. November 2015, 21:16: Message edited by: Bernie_Lomax ]
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Bernie, for most films, especially where the studio hasn't done a remaster, you make an excellent point: a brand new, not overplayed, VHS tape is fairly indistinguishable from a DVD. In fact, back around 1998 when DVDs first hit the market, the early discs were inferior, in my opinion, to VHS. A lot of them had pixilation in fast action sequences, compression noise, and artificating. DVDs have gotten a lot better in the last 10 years. If you want to see an enormous difference in quality, compare VHS with the other "analog" format, laserdisc. I have the Star Wars original trilogy box set on laserdisc and that format is very unforgiving to the film. Without remastering, some of the special effects don't look too special--process shots are dark, there are obvious matte lines, etc. The best thing that came with digital technology is digital projection. Now we don't have to worry about film stock degrading or getting damaged or crappy Eastman color bleeding out. The film Jem and the Holograms will look the same 50 years from now. LOL
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
Bernie and Crash, I agree completely about some vhs being excellent quality picture sometimes. I will add....some vhs are extremely cheaply made. For instance, look through the clear window on the vhs tape. The amount of rolled up tape you see will tell you something about the quality. Again, for instance, say you have a 90 minute film and two different tapes in front of you. The tape with more tape is a better quality. I have gotten to where I dont even buy the ones with approximately a half inch thickness of tape when rewound. Does this make any sense?
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
It´s also important in what country the tape´s been made. For example "Made in USA, UK and Japan" are quality tapes.
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
Crash. Star Wars laserdisc would be a cool collectors piece. I have the Shining which is a great cover with Jack sticking his head through the door with an axe. Also have Christmas Vacation.
What other laserdisc do you have.
Posted by J2ME (Member # 5728) on :
[ 13. November 2015, 07:18: Message edited by: J2ME ]
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
I've got that same - the rats vhs tape j2me,I also own the scream factory blu ray of it which plays under a different title.
Most of my vhs are stored up in the loft but here's a few at hand that are some of my rarer tapes!
Posted by Pittsburghgirl (Member # 7514) on :
Betamax was superior to VHS. The reason VHS became so popular was due to the fact that the porn industry used VHS. Betas were more expensive. I just read this about a year or two ago. I don't watch pornos 😋
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
A mate at film school told me the same thing about porn and he was quite a knowledgeable guy. It's too bad that the VHS won out as we could have watched better quality tapes over the years.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
I was in a thrift shop the other day looking at some VHS and an old guy working there said, "You do realise that everyone's watching DVDs now"? I was like "Yeah, thank mate". I had to laugh.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Haha, sounds like a scene from a movie but yeah, i know what you mean.
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
That guy knows nothing of movies Bernie. He probably thinx every movie made is on DVD.
Check this out. Scored a rare Disney flick called the Halloween Treat. I have seen it sell up to $100 on eBay. And have had a copy I was selling her bid up to $91. What a treat! This is another reason to search through the vhs rack.
Posted by Riptide (Member # 457) on :
Love the vhs talk! I did a lot of my thrift store searching about 10-15 years ago. I got some great finds. Sadly, only one place near me still has VHS's now. I did pick up Vice Versa last month. Most of my vhs collection is safely packed in boxes. I am going to set it up soon as I get a decent VHS player. Scared to death my old player will chew up my rare ones. All this talk has triggered memories of trying to stumble upon titles I could never acquire like Thunder Alley, 3:15 the moment of truth and On the right track.
Posted by Crash (Member # 7484) on :
Riptide, I'm totally with you in getting a decent VHS player. You are in an enviable position. Some films from the 80s that I like seem destined never to appear on DVD, like Lady Beware with Diane Lane and Call Me.
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
Speaking of VHS players, has anybody had good luck with the vhs/dvd combo players? Seems like a lot of people I know say their vhs player goes bad. I Personally stick with the vcr only machine, the only thing is, they are used and its hard to find a used vcr with the remote.
RipTide, I scored a copy of VIce Versa recently also and have never found a copy of Thunder Alley, not even at the many rental stores that went out of business/switched to all dvd.
Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
Yep, the video side of my combo died pretty quickly.
Posted by Jakey V (Member # 37348) on :
Here's a fake back of a VHS tape I made up: "From Here on Out" VHS Color 1986 116 min. Jake has just about everything going for him. A great girlfriend, awesome car and he's about to graduate from Buckley High at the top of his class! But when long time sweetheart Chelsea Swanson (PHOEBE CATES) dumps him for his arch-rival Matty (SCOTT BAEO), things turn upside down in a hurry. Not to mention his cool car being wrecked by his little brother! It's a wild ride as this high school senior trys to get his life back in gear before all is lost. Jake seems to be down and out, but with a little help from his new neighbor turned girlfriend Peggy (LEA THOMPSON) and his goofy sunglasses wearing best friend Gordie, he might just pull this off. Things are unpredictable and intense! His fortunes end up landing him on a cruise ship in a winner-take-all poker match against who else? Matty! It's up and down and all shook up. But one thing's for sure. Things are gonna be great FROM HERE ON OUT!
Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
(Random web video tape pic)
Now and again I check out some of these vhs/beta video hunt videos that they put up on YouTube,this is the latest one I watched that has just been posted where a guy coolduder who's channel I subscribe to goes on a video hunt with his buddy in a store that is getting rid off all there old tapes for only 50 cent each - https://youtu.be/qyujo0qqmM4.
[ 18. December 2015, 03:36: Message edited by: the young warrior ]
Posted by Peter Lemonjello (Member # 37395) on :
The prices are going up on VHS, because now it's considered vintage. Especially ex-rentals, which by logic should be worth less since they are the most beaten and battered. Talked to a big time VHS collector the other day, and he said that he is out of the game now. The prices are skyrocketing and he can't afford to collect anymore.
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
I always loved the idea of maintaining my VHS collection and I like the idea of watching 80's movies in their original format (I have an old TV and a top loading VHS player in my 80's room)...I just don't have the space and got rid of most of mine. Around here, there are still tons at the flea market/yard sales etc and still crazy cheap for now....usually 50 cents to a dollar. I'm still drawn to 80's VHS with specific covers (usually original release covers which have a specific look I'm still drawn to) and will pick up some classics form time to time. *I gave most of them to my Mother In Law....the only reason I regret this as I still see them displayed, and there are times I want to take them back!!! I will resist!!!!
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Originally posted by Peter Lemonjello: The prices are going up on VHS, because now it's considered vintage. Especially ex-rentals, which by logic should be worth less since they are the most beaten and battered. Talked to a big time VHS collector the other day, and he said that he is out of the game now. The prices are skyrocketing and he can't afford to collect anymore.
I'm noticing this. Very very odd, as most people wouldn't even have the means to play them would they?
Posted by Peter Lemonjello (Member # 37395) on :
Well, you can still buy VCRs in specialty stores, online or second hand. But this isn't the average Joe collecting a dead medium, it's mostly the nostalgic types, film snobs or hipsters I would guess. Though unlike vinyl, which can be argued has a better, deeper, warmer sound than digital. I don't think you can argue that VHS in any way is superior to DVD or Bluray. It has to be the whole nostalgia/vintage vibe that is the key here. Or the fact that thousands of films never made it beyond VHS release, so there is that.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
quote:Originally posted by Peter Lemonjello: Or the fact that thousands of films never made it beyond VHS release, so there is that.
This is the key line why i´m collecting VHS. I can STILL find lots of 80s titles i´ve never heard of when i´m getting this stuff. I have hundreds of unwatched films on the shelves and pretty soon i´m digging deep and check out some 80s obscurities rarely or never mentioned in Rewind. Stay tuned!
Posted by Peter Lemonjello (Member # 37395) on :
Keep bringing the rares, aTomiK. Looking forward to it.
Posted by Logan 5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Or the fact that thousands of films never made it beyond VHS release, so there is that.
That must be a factor, although it seems like the price of many that have been released on DVD are going up too. It must be nostalgia.
Posted by TerdNthePoolGGB (Member # 9818) on :
Been searching for hard to find VHS for 10+ years and you just never know what will be in demand. I have sold VHS that are on DVD but are out of print on DVD also. It seems in that case the VHS is still in demand especially if the DVD is sky high in price. Another thing is the death of an actor. For instance, Alan Rickman dies and his movie Truly Madly Deeply goes nuts. The DVDs sold as high as $300 and VHS goes as high as $60. Crazy. Another surprise to me was demo/screener VHS tapes. I wouldn't buy these cause I assumed people would not want them cause they have a message that scrolls across the screen throughout the movie while viewing them. I recently discovered that some of these demo tapes are very collectable. For instance, a couple copies of Disneys the Fox and the Hound demo tapes sold on Ebay for $100 each and they were used! The regular nondemo tapes were far less cost. I guess its the rarity of them, but I really don't know why.
As far as personal collecting, I like the artwork like you see on the Bond covers and I snatch them up when I see them.
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