On June 9, 2022, Heritage hosted their first VHS and Home Entertainment Signature Auction with 260 VHS tapes bringing in a total of $584,750. The auction was anchored by a collection of Back to the Future VHS tapes owned by actor Tom Wilson, who played Biff Tannen (and his relatives) in the trilogy. Wilson’s still sealed copy of the Back to the Future VHS tape in Near Mint condition charged to $75,000. According to Heritage, it is the highest price paid at auction for a sealed, graded VHS tape.

Wilson’s copy of Back to the Future II realized $16,250 and Back to the Future III brought $13,750. Both tapes were accompanied by signed notes from late MCA executive VP and Universal Pictures chairman Tom Pollock to Wilson. His 1990 trilogy box set sold for $10,000.

“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.”

Wilson wrote notes to accompany each of his tapes, and has offered to sign each container for the winning bidders.

“The results for Tom Wilson’s Back to the Future tapes, for Goonies and Jaws and Ghostbusters and many others, were nothing short of amazing,” VHS Consignment Director Jay Carlson said. “VHS collectors have never gone away, but interest in sealed VHS has blossomed in a way few could have imagined over the last couple of years. A few years ago, sealed VHS collectors were outliers in the collecting community, so it really is something to see it grow and attract enough new collectors to warrant a standalone auction at a major auction house. Based on everything I’ve seen today, VHS and home media have a bright future, and Heritage is just getting started.”

“The success of this inaugural auction shows, again, the power these movies and this format hold over audiences young and old,” Heritage Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena said. “This is a new area of collecting, and it’s clear there’s a deep love for what we’re offering. We can’t wait for the next VHS auction.”

The ‘80s ruled the auction, including a Near Mint copy of The Goonies with the white wraparound Warner HV watermark that hammered for $50,000 and a Beta copy also in Near Mint that went for $13,750. A copy of the 1983 release of Jaws in Mint condition with the wraparound MCA Home Video watermark opened at $13,500 before chomping to $32,500.

Ghostbusters first VHS release in Near Mint went for $23,750 and a rare copy of First Blood graded “epic” by IGS shot its way to $22,500. An original 1984 copy of Star Wars with the vertical CBS FOX Video watermarks garnered $22,500 and a Near Mint copy of The Empire Strikes Back also from ’84 realized $12,500. A Top Gun Near Mint copy with the promotional offering from Diet Pepsi featuring different cover art brought $17,500.