Wonder just how much are VHS Disney movies worth? If you are a child of the 80s or 90s, or a parent of one of those children, there is a high likelihood that at one point you had a significant collection of old Disney VHS tapes or as the young kids know them as VHS movies.
Back in the days of zero streaming services, watching a movie required you to either own the VHS or take a family trip to Blockbuster Video store with hopes that your favorite Disney princess movie was available to be rented.
Many parents opted to just purchase their kids’ favorite Disney movies to have on hand to watch for a quiet afternoon, rainy day, or a snow storm. Dave and his wife were one of those parents – we had quite the collection of Disney VHS movies on the shelf while Jen and Katie were young!
Many families amassed quite the collection of movies over the years. As VHS turned to DVDs and DVDs turned to Netflix and Disney+, those old VHS movies started collecting dust.
This post includes affiliate links.
You may be wondering what to do with your old VHS tapes (or perhaps your parent’s collection!). Do you sell it?
Are these valuable VHS tapes that you can make a pretty penny on? Should I throw them away or donate them to local thrift stores?
Can you even find a VHS player to watch these on? These are questions many people need answered – so let’s see what we can find out.
How Much Are VHS Disney Movies Worth?
Your old VHS Disney collection is really not worth much money. We are sorry to be the bearer of bad news!
Generally speaking, old tapes of Disney movies are worth an average of $1-$25. The chances of you sitting on a small fortune of old VHS Disney classics is not likely. Sorry!!
If someone tells you that your original Beauty And The Beast VHS tapes are worth $5,000 or the “rare” Little Mermaid with the original cover art is worth $12,000…well…it just isn’t.
You may find some of these movies listed for high values on sites such as eBay, but nobody is willing to pay those outrageous price tags. There is simply not a high demand for collections of vintage Disney VHS tapes.
If you are hoping to cash in on a few extra dollars by selling your Disney movies, there are a few things to be aware of that can help you get a bit more money. You will get more money for a Black Diamond Edition movie that is in mint condition.
What Is A Black Diamond Edition Movie?
Black Diamond Edition movies have a black diamond on the spine of the VHS case of the movie with the words “The Classics” written inside the diamond. Black Diamond movies were released between 1984 and 1994.
If any movies are more sought after, the black diamond VHS cassettes would be it. The Black Diamond Collection movies are the classic Disney films, plus some that you may not think about offhand.
What Movies Are Black Diamond Movies
There are 20 movies in the Black Diamond tape collection. They are:
- Robin Hood 1984
- Pinocchio 1985
- Dumbo 1985
- Sword In The Stone 1986
- Alice In Wonderland 1986
- Sleeping Beauty 1986
- Lady And The Tramp 1987
- Cinderella 1988
- Bambi 1989
- The Little Mermaid 1990
- Peter Pan 1990
- The Jungle Book 1991
- The Rescuers Down Under 1991
- Fantasia 1991
- 101 Dalmatians 1992
- The Great Mouse Detective 1992
- The Rescuers 1992
- Beauty And The Beast 1992
- Aladdin 1993
- The Fox And The Hound 1994
If you have any of these film titles in your Disney film collection, take a look at the upper spine of the case and see if they are Black Diamond Editions!
How Much Are Black Diamond Edition Disney Movies Worth?
To be honest, still not much! You can find most of these movies on eBay for around $5. Some of the Black Diamond Edition movies will have the words “A Walt Disney Classic” printed on the actual black VHS cassette tape.
These particular movies could be worth more, perhaps $20 and up. If you have a rare collection of all 20 Black Diamond Movies in good condition you could possibly get some decent cash for that! The catch is that you have to find people who are willing to pay the asking price.
What is the Disney Vault?
You may remember seeing commercials on TV advertising that “Beauty and The Beast is available for purchase….get it before it goes back into the vault!”
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment would release their movies out on VHS for a limited time in order to create demand for the movies. After a set time, the movie would be placed “in the vault” and the movie would be on a sales moratorium until a future unknown date.
At that time, the movie would come out of “the vault” and be available for purchase again. Usually at the re-release of the movie with updated features and likely a new cover.
Are Movies From The Disney Vault Worth Money?
Because so many movies were sold during each of the releases of the movies there are few truly “limited edition” movies out there. Remember, Disney is a corporation whose goal is to make money.
They sold a lot of movies during each release. Therefore, few of the movies that came in and out of the Disney Vault are worth much money.
What Disney Movies Were Put Into The Vault?
The following classic films were put into the Disney Vault at one point:
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
- Pinocchio (1940)
- Fantasia (1940)
- Dumbo (1941)
- Bambi (1942)
- Cinderella (1950)
- Alice in Wonderland (1951)
- Peter Pan (1953)
- Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
- The Jungle Book (1967)
- The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Aladdin (1992)
- The Lion King (1994)
Of course, the Disney Vault technically no longer exists. With the introduction of Disney Plus, Disney fans have the chance to watch their favorite Disney films on demand at any time.
Where Can I Sell My Disney VHS Movies?
If you are looking to try to sell some of your VHS collection, there are a number of places you can attempt to do this. If you are wanting to try to get the most money for your movies there are several options you can try.
1. Ebay
Ebay is a great place to try to sell your VHS movies, especially if they are in mint condition or sealed. You will be able to filter by “recently sold” auctions to see what the going rate is for your movie.
You will have a far reaching customer base as most people purchasing items on eBay are expecting to pay shipping to their home.
A quick look at the “recently sold” black diamond edition movies shows that most movies sold for less than $5. A collection here or there were able to get a tad bit more per movie.
When looking for movies on eBay, keep in mind that just because someone has a listing price of $500 for The Little Mermaid doesn’t mean that anyone is buying it! You need to filter the eBay listings appropriately to see what the movies ACTUALLY sold for.
When listing your Disney VHS movie, you will want to take great photos of the cover artwork, the Walt Disney Classics logo, the black diamond logo if you have black diamond tapes, and the actual VHS tape itself.
2. Facebook Marketplace
You may be surprised at what people are interested in! Listing some of your old Disney Black Diamond editions on facebook marketplace might get you several bucks!
You may find people willing to purchase these for the nostalgia of being able to relive their childhood with their own children. If you have an old VHS tape player you may want to consider selling it with your old videos! You may also consider trying to find a classic Disney films facebook group to join to see if there is any interest in old Disney tapes!
3. Antique Stores
There is not much out there regarding video tapes and antique stores….but many things from the 80s and 90s are starting to pop up in these shops! Recently I (Katie) saw an entire collection of Baby Sitter Club books for sale, and baseball cards from this era are showing up as well.
It might be worth making a phone call or stopping in to a collector who deals with Disney items to see if they would be willing to purchase your old tapes.
Hopefully this information helps you decide if you want to hang on to your VHS collection a little longer to see if their value will increase, try to sell the movies, or donate them! Only you can decide what makes the most sense. Good luck!