We reported last year that a VHS copy of the classic film "Back to the Future" sold for $75,000 at auction — a record selling price for a videotape.
The guys at the popular Youtube channel RedLetterMedia aimed to break that record.
The channel — known for contemporary movie reviews, inane Star Trek facts and watching obscure VHS tapes — hoped to prove a point about the fickle nature of the collector's market and grading systems. Having amassed a collection of over 100 copies of the 1987 E.T. rip-off"Nukie" (with a respectable 1.7 IMDB score), the guys behind the channel had a sealed copy of the film graded then shredded every copy they had using a woodchipper.
The graded VHS was put on eBay. The description stated: "Possibly one of the worst films ever made. Unlike other graded Hollywood classics, this movie should be sealed in a case never to be viewed."
Over 200 people bid on the tape that eventually sold for $80,600, breaking "Back to the Future's" record.
RedLetterMedia will give half of the money for the tape to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The other half will go to the Wisconsin Humane Society.
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Sean Newgent has been with KGUN9 since January of 2020 and is Good Morning Tucson's executive producer. He graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in broadcast journalism. He is a critic and cultural commentator. Share your story ideas and important issues with Sean by emailing sean.newgent@kgun9.com.
