If time is any indicator of value, it is that old technology becomes sought-after technology once again. Particularly if that technology is collectable.

Like vinyl before it, VHS appears to be on an upward trend (in terms of market value).

While VHS cassettes are no longer in production (the last VHS to be manufactured globally was in 2016 by a Japanese company), their value has had a recent resurgence.

One company that has capitalised on this VHS resurgence is Heritage Auctions.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Heritage Auctions is an auction house that has over 50 categories of collectables for sale, which generated $US1.4 billion in revenue last year. Twenty years ago, it only had four categories: coins, comics, movie posters and sports. 

Perhaps the most famous sale occurred last year when a sealed copy of 1985’s Back to the Future sold for US$75,000 at the first-ever VHS auction held by Heritage. It was said to be owned by Thomas Wilson, who played Biff Tannen in the movie.

Most recently, the first three Rocky films sold for US$53,750 in a February auction. 

People seem to be attempting to cash in on this renewed VHS interest. eBay listings of classic Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book are all going for a pretty penny. 

One copy of the classic, The Little Mermaid (with a rare, banned cover) is even going for AU$23,346.30 on Etsy.com currently. 

COVID has caused economic global unrest in the last 2 years. The share market has been shaky, real estate is finally weakening (in Australia at least) and cryptocurrencies did poorly in 2022. Luxury goods (which is the category these collectables sit within), however, grew by 22% to now be worth AU$578M as an industry. 

In the age of digital everything (streaming, ebooks, music etc), vintage collectables are making a comeback.

All of this proves that nostalgia is a powerful motivator, from a consumer point of view.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.