CGC-certified Star Wars VHS Realizes More Than $20,000 in Heritage Sale

The sealed drawer-box VHS now has the second-highest price realized for a copy of Star Wars on VHS on Heritage Auctions' platform.

Posted on: 6/26/2024

The Force was with CGC Home Video™ when a sealed Star Wars VHS graded CGC 9.2 realized more than $20,000 in a recent Heritage Auctions sale. The sealed drawer-box copy of Star Wars was just one of several CGC-certified collectibles in Heritage Auctions’ Star Wars Signature Auction, which ended on May 31, 2024.

The sealed Star Wars VHS from 20th Century Fox Video (1982) graded CGC 9.2 A (lot 89039) realized $23,750 in the sale. It is one of only two drawer-box VHS copies of the beloved space drama graded by CGC Home Video, as of June 2024. It is believed that there are fewer than ten surviving sealed copies in existence due to low production, according to the auction house, making it one of the rarest Star Wars collectibles in the world.

Star Wars became a pop culture phenomenon upon its release in theaters in 1977. When the film was first released to the public on home video, it hit store shelves in the form of this drawer-box VHS. Unfortunately, very few families owned VCRs at the time of the home video’s release in 1982. Although the release of Star Wars on VHS and Betamax contributed to the boom of VCR and home video sales, it was too late for the original drawer-box edition — production was limited based on low sales numbers, resulting in very few copies actually being sold and circulated in public trading spaces. Because of this, these initial drawer-box releases of Star Wars on VHS are extremely rare.

Other CGC-certified collectibles in the auction included:

  • a Star Wars Insider #119 (Titan Publishing Co., 8-9/10) Convention Exclusive graded CGC 9.4 Signature Series for multiple signatures, including Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher (lot 89087) that realized $5,250
  • a sealed The Empire Strikes Back VHS, CBS/Fox Video (1984) graded CGC 9.6 A++ (lot 89085) that realized $3,125
  • a Star Wars #1 (Marvel Comics, 3/15) graded CGC 9.6 Signature Series for multiple signatures, including Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford (lot 89062) that realized $2,250

Prices realized include a buyer’s premium.