'Back To the Future' VHS Copy Sells for $75,000

A VHS tape of "Back to the Future" sold at auction for $75,000, setting a record for a videotape.

The sealed, near-mint condition 1986 VHS tape was owned by actor Tom Wilson, who played Biff Tannen in the classic 1980s film, according to CNN. He initially listed the tape on eBay but after receiving an overwhelming response, took it down and approached Heritage Auctions in Dallas to conduct a proper sale. 

The collection included "Back to the Future II," "Back to the Future III," and 1990's "Back to the Future" trilogy boxed set, which Wilson said would be accompanied by a note for each tape and his autograph on each shipment. After a bidding war ensued, a New York-based collector secured the "Back to The Future" VHS copy, according to Heritage Auctions, which noted that the $75,000 price tag was "the highest price ever paid at auction for a sealed, graded VHS tape."

"This is the first box set sent out from the studio of the 'Back to the Future' trilogy," Wilson said. “The urge to open this, to open the shrink wrap, to me, was nearly unbearable, because not only does it include 'Back to the Future I' and 'II' and — mint — but also the documentary 'Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy.' "

The sale signifies a resurgence of VHS tapes among collectors, with bidders paying good money for films including "The Goonies," which fetched  $50,000; "Jaws," which was auctioned for $32,500; and "Ghostbusters," which sold for $23,750, according to Heritage Auctions. 

"We had no idea what was going to happen — no one's done this before and to see the success, it's amazing," Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, told CNN. "When you see that, it's a great sense of accomplishment, not even the financial aspect of it but just a moment of, I knew it! I knew nostalgic VHS tapes would be good."

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