CGC to start grading VHS Tapes

[TheBluRayBandito]

CGC is preparing to add vintage VHS tapes to the list of collectibles it grades.

CCG (Certified Collectible Group), a division of CGC (Certified Guaranty Company), published an open call for applications from potential VHS graders on May 9. The new division would bring the total number under CCG to nine. The decision to form a new division comes on the heels of the successful launch of CGC Trading Cards in 2020 and of CGC Video Games earlier this year. Recently, the company passed a major milestone of certifying or grading 10 million collectibles since the company was founded in January 2000.

The statement from the company remarked on the growing market for vintage tapes, stating, "Well-preserved VHS tapes are becoming increasingly collectible as nostalgia for the media that revolutionized at-home movie watching continues to grow. Children of the 1980s and 90s are now collectors, and the clunky-cool VHS tape stands out as an icon of the last analog era, before cellphones, social media or streaming. Some of the most sought-after titles include Star Wars: A New Hope, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Revenge of the Nerds and classic Disney movies."

The push for graded and certified VHS tapes isn't an unexpected one, as '80s and '90s nostalgia has had an ever-growing presence in pop culture over the past few years. Various properties have even specifically leaned into VHS tapes as marketing material, including 2018's psychedelic horror film Mandy, which released its special edition on the vintage format. On the topic of the format's rise as a collectible, CGC CEO Steven R. Eichenbaum said, "Collecting VHS tapes is getting more popular by the minute, and CGC cannot wait to serve this burgeoning community with expert certification services. We are ready to talk to and potentially hire VHS experts who can help us press play in this growing market."


The graded collectibles market has seen an unexpected boom in recent years. Heritage Auctions has broken multiple records in the past year, including the $3.12M sale of a 9.4 (near mint) copy of 1941's Captain America #1 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Heritage Auctions vice president Barry Sandoval remarked on the sale, saying, "Every time I looked up during the comic art portion of the session, a new record was falling, and with the comic books, that trend continued." And comics are hardly the only collectible seeing a resurgence. Uncut sheets of vintage Pokémon trading cards and original comic book pages from "The Death of Superman" have also drummed up plenty of noise in their respective markets.

https://www.cbr.com/cgc-vintage-vhs-tape-grading/

Will DVDs and blu rays be in the future?