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**knight errant00** · Jun 6, '16, 6:48 AM

I just read an article about this. Apparently, they're the only releases of the original theatrical cuts of the movies -- all subsequent releases have been tinkered with in some way, so the hardcore collectors want them.

**Blue Meanie** · Jun 6, '16, 10:54 AM

I could see if there was a short run on the video...but there were literally MILLIONS of copies made for sale back in the day. We couldn't keep them in stock at the video store I worked at when it first came out. But every store like Price Club/Costco had these by the skidloads. Again, give the people what they want...but I don't think that Disney collectors have grasp on reality when it comes to this particular movie. It's not rare...but who am I to judge. Now I gotta go get some of my sealed copies out of storage

**samurainoir** · Jun 6, '16, 1:09 PM

Sometimes it's the perfect storm of nostalgia rather than reason. That generation of Disney fans are hitting their thirties (with the disposable income that entails) and I think it's the combination of the format striking a childhood nerve and the fact that it's in the holy trinity of the Disney Animated Renaissance, along with Little Mermaid, Alladin for them.

**Blue Meanie** · Jun 6, '16, 3:07 PM

Funny thing is to get the true Theatrical Version of this movie they'd need to get the Laserdisc that is Widescreen

So they are basically not getting what they really want with the VHS because the VHS is formatted to fit older TV screens. Same goes for the people buying the 1st release Star Wars tapes. Like I said...6 ways to Sunday selling these to collectors

**hedrap** · Jun 6, '16, 3:32 PM

I saw that last week. It made me scan the sold pricing and my general impression is this is a pump-and-dump.

Artificial demand is being created to move "Disney VHS" to the top of eBay's algorithms. You have multiple examples of Beast selling for several thousand dollars, while the exact same copy moves for around 50. The difference is the crazy-money ones are sold from liquidators while the average eBayer is in the lower tier. So the liquidator sets up a few accounts then sells other Disney VHS copies for the new-low of around 50, where in the past, he would be lucky to get that.

No one is paying seven grand for a VHS tape. You could buy a 35mm theatrical print and have it professionally cleaned and transferred to Blu-Ray for under 4k.

EDIT: This was attempted with Megos around two years ago, maybe three.

I've found a number of these come out of Florida and Cali.

**toys2cool** · Jun 6, '16, 4:01 PM

dam i see these for $0.25 all the time lol

**Blue Meanie** · Jun 6, '16, 4:54 PM

I sold one back in April for $20 and it was sealed. I later found out that it was from the deluxe box of the VHS set that had a preview of behind the scenes stuff...so regular sellers do sell them. Just not for $$$$$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beauty-And-B...-/141967586124

**samurainoir** · Jun 6, '16, 5:04 PM

I'm finding VHS collectors quite fascinating, recently joining a few FB groups to observe.

It's not like Vinyl where you can argue that there is a superior sound quality, or more the case, a preference between analogue and digital. There is no question in anyone's mind that VHS magnetic tape is in fact an inferior sound and picture quality. Unless it's one of the thousands and thousands of "lost" movies unreleased on DVD, this is purely nostalgia and collectors driving that market.

It's the realm of Horror i've found that the prices can really skyrocket quickly.

**Nostalgiabuff** · Jun 6, '16, 6:11 PM

I just throw the damn things out as I replace them on disc. why would anyone want something that common on such an inferior medium?

**hedrap** · Jun 6, '16, 6:27 PM

Originally posted by Blue Meanie

I sold one back in April for $20 and it was sealed. I later found out that it was from the deluxe box of the VHS set that had a preview of behind the scenes stuff...so regular sellers do sell them. Just not for $$$$$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beauty-And-B...-/141967586124

Yeah. I wasn't trying to imply all sellers were apart. The low/mids like yours are the real prices.

But like you said, there were wholesalers full of these tapes. They weren't buried with ET, so where did they go? Predominantly warehouses and were sold in auction.

Just think about how many VHS resellers, Best Buy competitors, are no longer around.

**mazinz** · Jun 6, '16, 8:59 PM

Don't buy into those half assed researched so called articles that usually focus on 10 vhs tapes worth this "much" money. They are always way out of wack. That beauty and the beast tape is worth 25 cents and not a penny more

**Blue Meanie** · Jun 6, '16, 11:14 PM

Originally posted by mazinz

Don't buy into those half assed researched so called articles that usually focus on 10 vhs tapes worth this "much" money. They are always way out of wack. That beauty and the beast tape is worth 25 cents and not a penny more

I don't...but I do sell VHS Tapes on Ebay. For the most part, about 80% of the time, they are out of print stuff you can't find on DVD. I just hate it when collectors don't do the research. This one is glaring because there are soooooo many of them out there. Even if half of them were destroyed in a warehouse fire...there'd still be millions left. Bottom line is that it aint rare or hard to find.

**Blue Meanie** · Jun 6, '16, 11:21 PM

Originally posted by samurainoir

I'm finding VHS collectors quite fascinating, recently joining a few FB groups to observe.

It's not like Vinyl where you can argue that there is a superior sound quality, or more the case, a preference between analogue and digital. There is no question in anyone's mind that VHS magnetic tape is in fact an inferior sound and picture quality. Unless it's one of the thousands and thousands of "lost" movies unreleased on DVD, this is purely nostalgia and collectors driving that market.

It's the realm of Horror i've found that the prices can really skyrocket quickly.

The horror stuff is really interesting in that nobody was watching any of the "Rare" B/C/D class films that are deemed collectible. Big Boxed horror tapes are just like printing money when it comes to collectibility. Oh, and your favorite Ed...Original Kung Fu flicks like ORIGINAL Shaw Brothers release tapes...$$$$$$ The one thing I would always caution buyers is to get clear scans or pictures of the VHS tapes you are looking at online. There are tons of bootlegs out there. One of which is another Disney film called Little Mermaid. Back when it came out I think it was the most bootlegged film on VHS of its time.

**samurainoir** · Jun 6, '16, 11:46 PM

One factor about "rarity" of VHS... what is the shelf life of magnetic tape? How many tapes can survive continued rewatching? I would doubt that any that were in rental circulation back in the day survived very well today (and remember, there was a time when practically ALL VHS tapes were rental priced rather than him purchase priced)

I remember this was a huge question brought about when archives of 50's-70's reel to reel magnetic video tape archives in TV stations or educational institutions were shown to be degrading badly by the late 80's and 90's... depending on all kinds of factors. Temperature, handling. etc.

I remember buying rare tapes in the 90's of stuff from the 70's and early 80's that were out of print, but they were practically unwatchable. The one thing I don't miss... tracking problems or mangled parts of the tape that the VCR has crunched. The mechanism of the VHS machines inevitably pull and stretch the tape, and cause them to flake as well when watched and re-watched.

That's why I do understand the true rarity of some tapes.

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Disney VHS/Video Collectors have lost their minds...

Disney VHS/Video Collectors have lost their minds...

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