CGC Home Video Certifies High-grade, Sealed First Retail Print Star Wars
A high-grade example of one of the most popular and sought-after collectible VHS tapes ever created was recently authenticated and graded by CGC Home Video™. As a piece of cinematic history dating to the earliest years of the Star Wars film franchise, the example of a sealed first retail print of the original movie is a force to be reckoned within the collectibles market.
CGC Home Video had already authenticated several examples of this edition of the film, but none have earned a higher grade than this particular submission. CGC Home Video certified the sealed first retail copy of Star Wars VHS, 20th Century Fox Video (1982) with a CGC 9.0 A+ grade.
For reference, another sealed first retail print VHS copy of Star Wars sold for an astounding $114,000 through Goldin in October 2022, making it the most expensive home video ever sold.
Although the popular sci-fi film that birthed a multi-billion-dollar franchise became an overnight sensation in 1977, its VHS release was years in the making. 20th Century Fox chose not to release the movie on home video. However, fans continued to request a VHS release, and in 1982, Fox issued a rental-only release of the movie. Star Wars fans flocked to local video rental stores, as turmoil ensued.
Due to over-the-top demand, stores violated rental agreements, offering "lifetime" rentals for up to $100. In addition, copies mysteriously went missing from stores and pirated versions of the movie increased exponentially. The chaotic nature of the rental-only release forced Fox to release an official retail VHS tape for home audiences, which finally hit retail shelves later in 1982, a few months after it was released to rental stores.
When creator and director George Lucas originally released his 1977 science-fiction epic Star Wars: A New Hope, everyone involved assumed the movie would underperform at the box office. Little did they know that following its initial release in only a small number of theaters that it would quickly earn a wider release. It became a blockbuster hit and garnered critical acclaim, eventually becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time, earning more than $775 million at the box office.
Star Wars: A New Hope was the beginning of a pop culture phenomenon, that has blossomed into multiple movie trilogies, several standalone film spinoffs, live-action and animated TV shows and one of the largest markets for various collectibles that exist today. The world that Lucas created is beloved by generations of fans, and an early copy of the first VHS release of Star Wars is a direct link to the franchise's storied origins from a galaxy far, far away.
For more, check out this video on the CGC Home Video YouTube channel :