VHS Collector's Guide - The History, Care and Building of Your Video Collection

This guide was written to give you a brief history of the VHS tape and it's status today, as well as to share methods to care for and preserve your video tapes and to give you some assistance if you are expanding your collection or searching for a rare recording.

The VHS Tape, 1976 to 2006

Video Home System (VHS) was born in 1976. By the 1990s, it was the standard format to record on. DVDs were born in 1997 and it was in 2003 that DVDs first outsold VHS tapes. By 2006, most studios had stopped releasing new movies in VHS format. However, VHS tapes are not dead and there is still a market for VHS tapes. There are people who simply have not upgraded to DVD yet. However, there are also a number of collectors who want titles that have not been released on and may never be released on DVD or newer formats.  In 2005, The Washington Post reported that 94.7 million American homes still owned VCRs.

Care of Your Tapes

To help your VHS tapes last as long as possible, the experts recommend the following:

1. Store tapes between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 to 60 percent humidity. If you are comfortable, probably your tapes are. Avoid sudden temperature changes, even within these recommended zones. Neither cold, damp basements nor hot, dusty attics are good choices for storing your tapes. Be especially careful of condensation - allow at least 24 hours before using when you change the temperature or humidity of your tape.
2. Keep the tapes evenly wound and always rewind them fully. If the tape looks uneven, wind it again. If possible, rewind at slower speeds.
3. Store tapes upright as you would books and keep them in their original cases. You can buy plastic cases to store them in but even the cardboard cases do a good job of keeping the dust away.
4. Put the labels on correctly, where they belong and do not add labels on top of labels. They can interfere with cassette loading and possibly come off inside your VCR.
5. Exercise your tapes once every three years by rewinding or forwarding them.
6. Avoid magnetic fields - the field around any magnet. Your tapes can be erased so do not store them near speakers, motors, toys or other magnetic sources.
7. Transfer your footage every seven years. That helps prevent the images and sounds from fading away.

Building Your Collection

There are still new copies of VHS tapes available. This includes movies and films that have not yet and may never appear on DVD. These tapes can be extremely rare and if you find one, usually the seller only has one available. If you see a copy of a title that fits this category, do not hesitate and let it get away!

Used video tapes come in very different states of repair. Some have been well watched. Often they have rental stickers and the boxes are in rough shape. Common sense will tell you that, if the outside of a tape is in rough condition, the inside might not be in great shape either. If you choose to buy a used video tape, it is very important that you consider the condition carefully. What condition is the box in? The cassette? Condition should be carefully assessed and discussed in each auction and, most importantly, the seller should be willing to guarantee that the item is in working order.

Picture quality is a bit more difficult to evaluate. Remember that if you are purchasing a film originally made long before the advent of VHS and the put into VHS format in the 1980s, it will probably still look like an old film. However, the tape itself should play without any difficulties.

Rarity, popularity and condition of the cassette and the case determine the pricing. A brand-new VHS tape may be a one-of-a-kind find. In that case, it is definitely worth more and the increase in cost may be worth it to you since you know you will be purchasing an item that has not been previously viewed.

A Final Note

An important consideration if you are collecting VHS tapes is that it probably will not be long before manufacturers stop making VCRs since they have discontinued issuing new movies on VHS tapes. Do you have a good VCR that is going to allow you to continue to enjoy your movie collection? If not, now is probably the best time to buy a good one while they are still available!

I hope that the information in this guide is helpful to you when you are shopping for video tapes for your collection. I would love to help you find a title you have been searching for. Make sure to have a look at the videos I have listed in my store, Treasures By Brenda. You never know what I might have in store for you!

To check out the VHS tapes that I am able to offer you at this time, click here.

Good Luck Bidding!