VHS copy of ‘Back to the Future’ sells for $75,000

A Back to the Future relic from the past sold for $75,000 at auction.

On June 9, Texas’ Heritage Auctions closed the bidding on this 1986 Back to the Future VHS tape owned by Thomas F. Wilson, the actor who played Biff Tannen and his relatives in all three Back to the Future flicks. Beyond being owned by Biff, the tape’s myriad superlatives include having its original packaging and one of the earliest wraparound MCA Home Video watermarks.

This 1986 VHS release of Back to the Future is not only one of the earliest known VHS copies with its wraparound MCA Home Video watermarks and double stamped MCATM tape, but comes to us from the collection of Back to the Future actor Tom Wilson who played Biff Tannen, one of cinemas greatest villains. VGA has graded this copy of Back to the Future as an 80+ NM, with matching box and seal subgrades of 80 and has also issued a rare pedigree certifying where it comes from making it truly a rare, one-of-a-kind item. The winning bidder will also receive a personal, handwritten note from Tom Wilson.

The personal note reads, “This is a VHS tape of the first release of Back to the Future, sent to me by the studio at the time. Since I knew that the VHS platform would be around forever, I saved it for later and now I can’t find a VCR. Oh well. Enjoy!”

Moreover, Wilson agreed to sign the tape for the winning bidder.

Heritage Auctions has become quite adept at selling VHS tapes of classic films. It sold a near-mint copy of The Goonies for $50,000 and a mint copy of Jaws for $32,500. During that same auction, Wilson also sold VHS copies of Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III for $16,250 and $13,750, respectively.

Maybe it’s time to dust off your parents’ VHS collection!