The Unexpected Value Of Your Old Back To The Future VHS Tape

Jumpin' gigawatts! Some copies of "Back to the Future" might be worth as much today as stolen plutonium once was to Doc Brown. For forty years and counting, "Back to the Future" movie fans have been telling road trip buddies that where they are going, they don't need roads. Lovebirds have connected by telling each other "you are my density." Last-minute costumes have been thrown together with a red vest, a button down, and a whole lot of attitude, while "Hello, McFly!" continues to be shouted at friends and enemies alike. There is even a hit musical, based on the movie, that took over Broadway in 2023. Since the film's release and through today, countless drivers have joked — and will continue to joke — about getting all manner of vehicles up to the key speed of 88 miles per hour.

Of course, the Robert Zemeckis-directed, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd-starring, movie about a young boy's quest to save Doc Brown and his own existence is a timeless time travel treasure of a film. Or at least, timeless circa its 1985 release date. With that said, the right collector might just pay astonishing prices that will make you say "Great Scott!" –- if, of course, you're selling a copy of the film today, captured on a certain rare piece of time-traveling technology: the humble VHS tape.

Mint condition and pristine preservation help make collectibles more valuable. And of course, auction values only increases for collectibles kept in immaculate condition either through vacuum-sealed containers or through never-been-played, asset-class level collectible retro video games, still fresh in their ancient (yet brand new) packaging. However, true collectors aren't only after extremely well-preserved pieces of the past. The true believer collector is often also seeking nostalgia. The hunt to momentarily relive precious memories is largely what powers sky-high prices for old postcards, sports memorabilia, vintage Pyrex, and even rare and valuable Furby toys. And the strong nostalgia evoked from "Back to the Future" memories can, and has, produced exorbitant prices.

The power of provenance and nostalgia combined in the case of the most expensive "Back to the Future" VHS tape ever sold. The only person to own the specific 1986 VHS copy of "Back to the Future" in question, before it was put up for auction in 2022, was none other than Tom Wilson, the actor who played the infamous "Back to the Future" bully, Biff Tannen. Wilson's VHS copy of "Back to the Future" became the subject of an expansive bidding war, and ended up selling to a New York-based collector for the whopping sum of $75,000.

Tom Wilson has appeared in a range of beloved films and TV shows over the years. However, he's best known for his role in the "Back to the Future" trilogy. All to say, the copy of Wilson's personal "Back to the Future" VHS provided a provenance cherry on top of the mint-condition, first release, shrink-wrapped copy of the movie — and contributed to its steep selling amount at auction. It's also the reason why Wilson ended up selling his copy through an official auction house at all.

Wilson's initial attempt to sell his tape on eBay generated such overwhelming response that he decided to take down his listing, and take his business to the professionals. Texas-based Heritage Auctions partnered with Wilson to create their first VHS-only auction. Wilson's professionally graded, sealed VHS copy was further vaunted into the value stratosphere by being a relatively early VHS tape, with the format only coming into existence in 1971. 

While no other VHS copy of "Back to the Future" may come as close in terms of value (unless Michael J. Fox decides to auction off any) as Wilson's did, eBay sale records for March, April, and May 2025 reveal that sealed VHS copies of "Back to the Future" have fetched anywhere between $350 and $2,450. That could be worth searching through your old boxes of VHS tapes for.