‘Back To The Future’ VHS Tape Flies Off The Market At Record Price

Sealed in its own capsule, a first-edition VHS tape of Back to the Future from 1986 has traveled into the future and was sold for US$75,000 at auction.

In doing so, it has set a new record for the highest amount paid for a sealed, graded videotape, says Heritage Auctions.

The tape had been owned by Tom Wilson, the actor who played Biff Tanen in the film. He had first gone to eBay to sell the copy, when he was bombarded with an overwhelming number of people dying to get their hands on this one-of-a-kind memorabilia.

Later, he reached out to the auction house to handle the sale for him, and ended up selling his whole tape collection, which also consisted of Back to the Future II, Back to the Future III, and the Back to the Future trilogy box set from the 1990s. 

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, told CNN that the sale of the VHS tape—which went to a New York collector—was unprecedented and a first in the auction industry. He also said he hopes this would inspire more celebrities to consider auctioning off memorabilia they have kept from movies.  

The tapes were given to Wilson upon their initial release as a gift from the production crew. What had probably pushed the price so high was a signed note written by Wilson, leaving any diehard Back to the Future fan eager to get their hands on the tapes.  

[via CNN and The Guardian, cover image via Heritage Auction]