VHS tape of ‘Back to the Future’ fetches $75,000 at auction

Never doubt the value of nostalgia.

A sealed VHS copy of Back to the Future sold for $75,000 Wednesday, setting a new record for a videotape price tag.

The tape, which previously belonged to actor Tom Wilson, who played bully Biff Tannen in the films, was part of a catalog of VHS tapes sold at a Heritage Auctions event. All totaled, collectors shelled out more than $580,000 on 260 tapes. (A copy of Jaws went for $32,500; Ghostbusters sold for $23,750; and a Top Gun giveaway fetched $17,500.)

“This is a VHS tape of the first release of Back to the Future, sent to me by the studio at that time,” wrote Wilson in a note that accompanied the tape. “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!”