I am guessing that whoever originally recorded these was living around, or in, Springfield, MO. KSPR is, to me, kind of an interesting TV station, they started as an independent TV station in 1983, joined ABC in the Fall of 1986. I don't know if they had any newscasts in March 1987, but by 1988 they did have in-house newscasts. Unfortunately, they are now simulcasting KYTV's newscasts now.
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Oldest Extant Off-Air VHS/Beta Tape You Have
- Thread starter Stanislav
- Start date
Thanks for the replies.
Unfortunately Internet Archive is so slow I can't even use it. Can't post videos because the upload speed is like 10-20KB a sec and it crashes. "There is a network error" over and over and over. I have sent a reply to the forums but have gotten no response as of this morning.
Until the fix happens, no new videos from me and lots of backlog.
Unfortunately Internet Archive is so slow I can't even use it. Can't post videos because the upload speed is like 10-20KB a sec and it crashes. "There is a network error" over and over and over. I have sent a reply to the forums but have gotten no response as of this morning.
Until the fix happens, no new videos from me and lots of backlog.
Stumbled upon this Youtube channel today:
This guy buys up old Quasar Great Time Machines (VX format different from Beta or VHS) as well as Cartrivision, plus tape lots and then fixes the machines and posts the tape contents on Youtube. Quite incredible really. The VX tapes have stuff going back to 1977, here is an example from 1978:
This guy buys up old Quasar Great Time Machines (VX format different from Beta or VHS) as well as Cartrivision, plus tape lots and then fixes the machines and posts the tape contents on Youtube. Quite incredible really. The VX tapes have stuff going back to 1977, here is an example from 1978:
I myself have a copy of that Kraft special, albeit also without the commercials as well. I've posted about that find previously in this thread.
My latest lot from "The Emerald City" arrived today. Unaware of what the labels could say on the side, I just treated it as a strict grab bag. Overall, lots of junk with the majority of the tapes (rental duds, commercials zapped out, very few pay TV promos), with most movies being in the sci-fi or horror genre, along with the horror comedy musical, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". But three of the 16 tapes were standouts. Everything was recorded from 1980-82, with most of the recordings in Beta II speed.
Tape 1: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) copied from a rental, followed by about 20 minutes from the Vancouver Island News Hour Final Report from 12/17/1980 (CHEK?) with some commercials. My oldest footage from a Canadian newscast!
Tape 2: Invaders From Mars and Doc Savage from either rental copies or pay TV without ads, followed by the last 20 minutes of the KIRO 11 PM News from 10/4/1980 with some commercials.
Tape 3: Things To Come (1936) from pay TV, rental, or an unknown station without ads, followed by Entertainment Tonight off KING from 4/14/1982 with commercials, then it cuts to the last 30 minutes of Hart To Hart off KOMO/ABC on 4/12/1982 with commercials (including an ad for Pac-Man for the Atari 2600). My oldest Entertainment Tonight episode uncovered, from the first season! Non-movie portion was recorded in BIII speed.
Three of the near-misses included one tape with a nine-minute clip of a talk show with a topic about smoking circa 1980 (the host is female, and there's a wooden set, but it isn't Dinah Shore, maybe crainbebo can chip in), another tape with a few commercial breaks from Twilight Zone episodes off KSTW, one circa late summer 1980 and another circa spring 1982.
The same eBay seller has another lot going off late Wednesday Night. Initially it was a Buy It Now like the lot I purchased, but placed an early bid to prevent someone else from buying. I'm on the fence bidding, as I see one label reading "Twilight Zone II" on the side, but there's some somewhat newer tape stock in there which may have a better variety of stuff. But given what early '80s stuff with commercials goes for on eBay, I nearly broke even with what I found. I'm now slowly starting to reupload my pannoni4 channel that was taken down in November 2020, while being home to my new third channel as pannoni10 looks out indefinitely, though I'm still hoping for a response by Google if it ever arrives.
My latest lot from "The Emerald City" arrived today. Unaware of what the labels could say on the side, I just treated it as a strict grab bag. Overall, lots of junk with the majority of the tapes (rental duds, commercials zapped out, very few pay TV promos), with most movies being in the sci-fi or horror genre, along with the horror comedy musical, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". But three of the 16 tapes were standouts. Everything was recorded from 1980-82, with most of the recordings in Beta II speed.
Tape 1: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) copied from a rental, followed by about 20 minutes from the Vancouver Island News Hour Final Report from 12/17/1980 (CHEK?) with some commercials. My oldest footage from a Canadian newscast!
Tape 2: Invaders From Mars and Doc Savage from either rental copies or pay TV without ads, followed by the last 20 minutes of the KIRO 11 PM News from 10/4/1980 with some commercials.
Tape 3: Things To Come (1936) from pay TV, rental, or an unknown station without ads, followed by Entertainment Tonight off KING from 4/14/1982 with commercials, then it cuts to the last 30 minutes of Hart To Hart off KOMO/ABC on 4/12/1982 with commercials (including an ad for Pac-Man for the Atari 2600). My oldest Entertainment Tonight episode uncovered, from the first season! Non-movie portion was recorded in BIII speed.
Three of the near-misses included one tape with a nine-minute clip of a talk show with a topic about smoking circa 1980 (the host is female, and there's a wooden set, but it isn't Dinah Shore, maybe crainbebo can chip in), another tape with a few commercial breaks from Twilight Zone episodes off KSTW, one circa late summer 1980 and another circa spring 1982.
The same eBay seller has another lot going off late Wednesday Night. Initially it was a Buy It Now like the lot I purchased, but placed an early bid to prevent someone else from buying. I'm on the fence bidding, as I see one label reading "Twilight Zone II" on the side, but there's some somewhat newer tape stock in there which may have a better variety of stuff. But given what early '80s stuff with commercials goes for on eBay, I nearly broke even with what I found. I'm now slowly starting to reupload my pannoni4 channel that was taken down in November 2020, while being home to my new third channel as pannoni10 looks out indefinitely, though I'm still hoping for a response by Google if it ever arrives.
More finds this past weekend, this time from an estate sale in Parma, all unmarked tapes.
TAPE 1: End of Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami and first couple minutes of 19 Action News at 11 taped from WOIO on 2/12/2007 with commercials; two episodes of The Unit and start of 19 Action News at 11 taped from WOIO on 2/6/2007 with commercials; partial broadcast of ABC World News Now and partial broadcast of ABC World News This Morning taped from WEWS on 11/8/2004 with commercials. Fuji T-120.
TAPE 2: Last few minutes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and an episode of Law & Order taped from WKYC on 5/13/2009 with commercials; partial broadcast of Yellowstone: Battle for Life taped from the Discovery Channel on 5/3/2009 with commercials; partial broadcast of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC sometime in 2008. Scotch T-120.
TAPE 3: Partial broadcast of Today You Die (2005) taped from Spike TV on 9/9/2007 with commercials; partial broadcast of Out of Reach (2004) taped from Spike TV on 9/9/2007 with commercials; partial broadcast of Concert for Diana (NBC special) taped from WKYC on 7/1/2007 with commercials; end of an episode of The Unit taped from WOIO on 11/28/2006 with commercials. TDK T-120.
TAPE 4: Beverly Hills 90210 two-hour season finale taped from WOIO on 5/25/1994 with commercials; partial broadcast of The Ten O'clock News taped from WUAB in March 1994 with commercials; partial broadcast of The Ten O'clock News, McDonald's Sports Extra, M*A*S*H, The Golden Girls and partial episode of Designing Women taped from WUAB on February 23-24, 1994 with commercials. RCA T-120.
TAPE 1: End of Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami and first couple minutes of 19 Action News at 11 taped from WOIO on 2/12/2007 with commercials; two episodes of The Unit and start of 19 Action News at 11 taped from WOIO on 2/6/2007 with commercials; partial broadcast of ABC World News Now and partial broadcast of ABC World News This Morning taped from WEWS on 11/8/2004 with commercials. Fuji T-120.
TAPE 2: Last few minutes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and an episode of Law & Order taped from WKYC on 5/13/2009 with commercials; partial broadcast of Yellowstone: Battle for Life taped from the Discovery Channel on 5/3/2009 with commercials; partial broadcast of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC sometime in 2008. Scotch T-120.
TAPE 3: Partial broadcast of Today You Die (2005) taped from Spike TV on 9/9/2007 with commercials; partial broadcast of Out of Reach (2004) taped from Spike TV on 9/9/2007 with commercials; partial broadcast of Concert for Diana (NBC special) taped from WKYC on 7/1/2007 with commercials; end of an episode of The Unit taped from WOIO on 11/28/2006 with commercials. TDK T-120.
TAPE 4: Beverly Hills 90210 two-hour season finale taped from WOIO on 5/25/1994 with commercials; partial broadcast of The Ten O'clock News taped from WUAB in March 1994 with commercials; partial broadcast of The Ten O'clock News, McDonald's Sports Extra, M*A*S*H, The Golden Girls and partial episode of Designing Women taped from WUAB on February 23-24, 1994 with commercials. RCA T-120.
Pannoni...
Maybe Seattle Today (local KING-TV show)? Wooden desk(s) with a plastic sunrise display behind the hosts? Unless it was something originating from CBC.
Yep, you got footage from CHEK-6. That's rare as heck and ESPECIALLY from 1980. I found a partial CHEK newscast from 1996 last November at the Veterans Warehouse in Wenatchee.
Great to find a 1st season ET as well. That would have been Dixie Whatley and Ron Hendren, right? If so, that episode pre-dates Mary Hart. Which makes it even more valuable. Too bad they didn't get the Tic Tac Dough that followed ET at that period on KING 5.
Maybe Seattle Today (local KING-TV show)? Wooden desk(s) with a plastic sunrise display behind the hosts? Unless it was something originating from CBC.
Yep, you got footage from CHEK-6. That's rare as heck and ESPECIALLY from 1980. I found a partial CHEK newscast from 1996 last November at the Veterans Warehouse in Wenatchee.
Great to find a 1st season ET as well. That would have been Dixie Whatley and Ron Hendren, right? If so, that episode pre-dates Mary Hart. Which makes it even more valuable. Too bad they didn't get the Tic Tac Dough that followed ET at that period on KING 5.
Checked the other tapes from Idaho over the past few days, but my schedule has been nearly impossible to post anything but a few re-uploaded videos here and there from prior to the YouTube termination...
More from that Plummer ID sale
Tape 20 - 'Pete's Dragon' (1977) taped off KDEB-27 Springfield/ABC on 9/21/1986 with commercials. Rare stuff, as KSPR became the ABC affiliate not long after. KDEB then took the FOX affiliation, and has switched calls from KSFX to KOZL and is now an independent (KRBK-49 has FOX now). Scotch T-120
Tape 21 - Part 1 of Passion & Paradise taped off KSPR/ABC on 2/19/1989 with commercials. Polaroid T-120
Tape 22 - Yet ANOTHER copy of the 3/24/1989 broadcast of the live-action Peter Pan with Mary Martin, taped off KYTV/NBC with commercials. This is the third time I've found this, the second time was just a few weeks ago off KNDO (first tape was off KING-5 in Seattle). Wal-Mart T-120
One more tape from the Spokane Goodwill Outlet
Tape 23 - Episode of This Old House taped off WNED-17 Buffalo/PBS circa 2002; episode of Everybody Loves Raymond taped off WUTV-29 on 10/21/2002 with some commercials (others cut out), followed by an episode of Seinfeld from the same night with commercials; ends with Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier episodes (assumed same night?) minus commercials. First finds from Buffalo! Maxell T-120/SP
The other tape from the Hospice of North Idaho thrift store had multiple softcore films from the early '90s...all taped off Cinemax or TMC around Thanksgiving 1993. Some promos were found on the first movie, 'Desert Passion,' and a Joe Bob Drive-In Theatre segment before 'Love in Hong Kong.'
More from that Plummer ID sale
Tape 20 - 'Pete's Dragon' (1977) taped off KDEB-27 Springfield/ABC on 9/21/1986 with commercials. Rare stuff, as KSPR became the ABC affiliate not long after. KDEB then took the FOX affiliation, and has switched calls from KSFX to KOZL and is now an independent (KRBK-49 has FOX now). Scotch T-120
Tape 21 - Part 1 of Passion & Paradise taped off KSPR/ABC on 2/19/1989 with commercials. Polaroid T-120
Tape 22 - Yet ANOTHER copy of the 3/24/1989 broadcast of the live-action Peter Pan with Mary Martin, taped off KYTV/NBC with commercials. This is the third time I've found this, the second time was just a few weeks ago off KNDO (first tape was off KING-5 in Seattle). Wal-Mart T-120
One more tape from the Spokane Goodwill Outlet
Tape 23 - Episode of This Old House taped off WNED-17 Buffalo/PBS circa 2002; episode of Everybody Loves Raymond taped off WUTV-29 on 10/21/2002 with some commercials (others cut out), followed by an episode of Seinfeld from the same night with commercials; ends with Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier episodes (assumed same night?) minus commercials. First finds from Buffalo! Maxell T-120/SP
The other tape from the Hospice of North Idaho thrift store had multiple softcore films from the early '90s...all taped off Cinemax or TMC around Thanksgiving 1993. Some promos were found on the first movie, 'Desert Passion,' and a Joe Bob Drive-In Theatre segment before 'Love in Hong Kong.'
That IS rare! According to Newspapers.com, the affiliation switch between KDEB & KSPR happened on October 5, 1986.
Internet Archive upload speeds sucked for several days, then they went back to semi-normal (like 60% of normal levels). Now it's back to sucky mode again. UGH, Archive! $%&#!!! It's keeping my uploads to the bare minimum (a few a day on average vs. 25+ before) plus the incredibly busy schedule of student teaching in another town/lesson plans/family business keeps me away from the VCR on a daily basis. How am I supposed to post long-form programs (newscasts, etc.) without numerous 'there is a network problem' errors? I am getting pretty dang close to saying goodbye to Archive for good. They can't bother to fix their problem(s).
Emails sent to Archive support are basically generic 'we're working on it.' Can you please get it done faster!?
Unfortunately, my Sony SLV-N55 has bit the dust. It won't play a tape now, the left roller guide refuses to hold the tape and it ejects. Back to the mono VCR(s) until I can find a replacement Hi-Fi VCR.
One tape found in Zillah yesterday (city-wide yard sale)...
'The Great Missouri Raid' (1951) taped off AMC; 'Paris After Dark' (1943) taped off AMC; 'Reap the Wild Wind' (1942) taped off AMC early on 6/22/1992 with nearly 20 minutes of promos and two Movietone News segments. Kodak T-120
One other tape was a rental dud recorded in EP with four hours of a blue screen and "CH 3" after the film ended. A waste.
Emails sent to Archive support are basically generic 'we're working on it.' Can you please get it done faster!?
Unfortunately, my Sony SLV-N55 has bit the dust. It won't play a tape now, the left roller guide refuses to hold the tape and it ejects. Back to the mono VCR(s) until I can find a replacement Hi-Fi VCR.
One tape found in Zillah yesterday (city-wide yard sale)...
'The Great Missouri Raid' (1951) taped off AMC; 'Paris After Dark' (1943) taped off AMC; 'Reap the Wild Wind' (1942) taped off AMC early on 6/22/1992 with nearly 20 minutes of promos and two Movietone News segments. Kodak T-120
One other tape was a rental dud recorded in EP with four hours of a blue screen and "CH 3" after the film ended. A waste.
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Went to the local public library to use their Wifi. I also brought a flash drive with several videos I needed to post to Archive.
Like magic they were uploading at about 700KB/sec. Here at the college it's slow as a snail. Guess I restart my computer, flush my DNS, delete my old cache, or something.
Like magic they were uploading at about 700KB/sec. Here at the college it's slow as a snail. Guess I restart my computer, flush my DNS, delete my old cache, or something.
That should work. You should also try running a speed test on your internet connection.
A full update later, but I went to an estate sale in Yakima this morning and hit a jackpot of VHS tapes. This was in West Valley, near 96th and Summitview. The couple lived in Tacoma WA until 2006 and retired in Yakima, thus everything is Seattle programming, but there are some *vintage* VK-250s and even a VK-125 mixed in the pile. Best find so far has been 1/2 of Dallas, Falcon Crest, and 1/2 of KIRO Eyewitness News with John Marler and Susan Hutchison from October 12th, 1984 (w/ commercials in LP). There is likely older stuff with the VK's, possibly even late '70s!
Probably close to 30 tapes with dozens more left behind.
Probably close to 30 tapes with dozens more left behind.
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So far, I have inventoried these tapes from the estate sale on April 30th...
Tape 1 - Part of 'A Painted House' (2003), Eyewitness News Eleven at 11 and about 9 minutes of Access Hollywood Weekend taped off KIRO/CBS on 4/27/2003 with commercials. Unknown T-120 in SP, looks like a Panasonic from the '80s
Tape 2 - 'The King and I' (1956) taped off KCPQ-13 on 11/4/1984 with commercials; half of Dallas, Falcon Crest, and about 20 minutes of Eyewitness News Update taped off KIRO/CBS on 10/12/1984 with commercials. Another unknown T-120, thinking a PDMagnetics cartridge. Many were in newer cases and/or hard cut boxes normally used for rental movies.
Tape 3 - 'Sleepless in Seattle' (1993) copied from rental tape with opening previews; cuts to the first half of the Notre Dame vs. Florida State 'Game of the Century' taped off KING/NBC on 11/13/1993 with commercials, a broadcast I already have from KNDO Yakima. Very old RCA VK-250, a slight swing and a miss, but we'll see what happens with the other VK's.
Tape 4 - 'Dances with Wolves' (1990), 'Flatliners' (1990) and part of 'Blaze' (1989) taped off Showtime on 3/8-9/1992 with promos. The first part was during the free preview weekend, which ended at midnight. Fuji Super HG T-120
Tape 5 - 'Jack the Bear' (1993) copied from rental tape with opening previews; 'The Sandlot' (1993) copied from rental tape, after tape ends, there's a partial broadcast of Up to the Minute taped off KIRO/CBS early on 1/31/1994 with commercials, it then cuts to a few minutes of C-SPAN2 footage and a Lifetime exercise show from the same time period, and ends with a loop of the Viacom Cable (Tacoma/Seattle) Pay-Per-View Preview Channel, taped 12/15/1993. Memorex T-120
Tape 6 - Bill Moyers' Healing & the Mind (two episodes) taped off KCTS/PBS on 2/23/1993 and 2/24/1993, with promos after the first broadcast; last 20 minutes of 'Kiss of a Killer' (1993) and part of KOMO News 4 taped off KOMO/ABC on 2/1/1993 with commercials; incomplete broadcast of part 2 of The Phantom of the Opera ('90) and open to KING 5 News at 11 taped off KING/NBC on 3/19/1990 with commercials; credit roll at the end of the Seoul Closing Ceremonies and most of KING 5 News taped off KING/NBC on 10/2/1988 with a few commercials; partial broadcast of The Fortunate Pilgrim (part 2) and a good chunk of KING 5 News at 11 taped off KING/NBC on 4/4/1988 with commercials. TDK T-120
Tape 7 - 'Happy Gilmore' (1996) copied from rental; about 45 minutes of Viewer's Choice bumper music (which apparently aired after the Holyfield-Bowe boxing match on 11/13/92, it's the same minute of music that has been posted to YT in the past); ends with a channel surfing clip on Viacom Cable from 10/17/1992 (and a few minutes of a rare Playboy game show called the Playboy Love & Sex Test), and a little over 15 minutes of World News Now taped off KOMO/ABC on 10/1/1992 with commercials. Magnavox T-120...which originally had Super Bowl XIII on it from 1979. Ugh!
Tape 8 - 'The Lion King' (1994) taped off KOMO/ABC on 5/10/1998 with commercials; a few minutes of KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Eleven at 11 taped 4/12/1998; part of Roy Orbison: The Black & White Concert taped off KCTS/PBS in March 1998 with several pledge breaks hosted by George Ray. Maxell HGX T-120
Tape 9 - Part of 'Jane's House' (1994) and part of 'Harvest of Fire' (1996) taped off Hallmark Channel on 11/14/2004 with commercials. TDK T-120
I've also found other Notre Dame games, an Entertainment Tonight from 2003, and a CNN Headline News broadcast with Gordon Graham, taped in 1991, among other tidbits. I only grabbed about 20 tapes but there were dozens left behind as they were '90s labels and/or movies I already have.
MEANWHILE...May 14th was another extravaganza of tapes. I found half-a-dozen at a yard sale in Terrace Heights (with a pretty view out to Yakima and the valley), and another 20+ at an estate sale off Ahtanum Rd. The latter sale has some Houston recordings, but most are from Yakima. So far, lots of Yakima newscasts have been found in this lot, mostly KAPP and KIMA, and most from the late '90s. Two tapes w/ Y&R episodes, one from 1991 and another from 1995, lots of movies (of course), some taped from TNT/TBS and others from KSTW. I also found 'Guns of Timberland' with Alan Ladd, taped off KTRK 13's 11:00 Movie on 4-12-1989 w/ commercials. This is the second time I've found Houston content this year - first time was on an eBay Beta lot from a very small western Kansas town.
A little bit of vacation footage...and my first find from Palm Springs as well! "Holiday in Your Heart" with LeAnn Rimes, taped off KESQ/ABC on 12/14/1997 with commercials. Too bad the news isn't on this tape. It goes blank after 2:00 in SLP.
In addition, somebody is giving away 75 home-recorded VHS tapes in Ellensburg for FREE! It was her dad's old tapes. I can't take all these...I'm leaving Ellensburg (most likely) at the end of June!
Tape 1 - Part of 'A Painted House' (2003), Eyewitness News Eleven at 11 and about 9 minutes of Access Hollywood Weekend taped off KIRO/CBS on 4/27/2003 with commercials. Unknown T-120 in SP, looks like a Panasonic from the '80s
Tape 2 - 'The King and I' (1956) taped off KCPQ-13 on 11/4/1984 with commercials; half of Dallas, Falcon Crest, and about 20 minutes of Eyewitness News Update taped off KIRO/CBS on 10/12/1984 with commercials. Another unknown T-120, thinking a PDMagnetics cartridge. Many were in newer cases and/or hard cut boxes normally used for rental movies.
Tape 3 - 'Sleepless in Seattle' (1993) copied from rental tape with opening previews; cuts to the first half of the Notre Dame vs. Florida State 'Game of the Century' taped off KING/NBC on 11/13/1993 with commercials, a broadcast I already have from KNDO Yakima. Very old RCA VK-250, a slight swing and a miss, but we'll see what happens with the other VK's.
Tape 4 - 'Dances with Wolves' (1990), 'Flatliners' (1990) and part of 'Blaze' (1989) taped off Showtime on 3/8-9/1992 with promos. The first part was during the free preview weekend, which ended at midnight. Fuji Super HG T-120
Tape 5 - 'Jack the Bear' (1993) copied from rental tape with opening previews; 'The Sandlot' (1993) copied from rental tape, after tape ends, there's a partial broadcast of Up to the Minute taped off KIRO/CBS early on 1/31/1994 with commercials, it then cuts to a few minutes of C-SPAN2 footage and a Lifetime exercise show from the same time period, and ends with a loop of the Viacom Cable (Tacoma/Seattle) Pay-Per-View Preview Channel, taped 12/15/1993. Memorex T-120
Tape 6 - Bill Moyers' Healing & the Mind (two episodes) taped off KCTS/PBS on 2/23/1993 and 2/24/1993, with promos after the first broadcast; last 20 minutes of 'Kiss of a Killer' (1993) and part of KOMO News 4 taped off KOMO/ABC on 2/1/1993 with commercials; incomplete broadcast of part 2 of The Phantom of the Opera ('90) and open to KING 5 News at 11 taped off KING/NBC on 3/19/1990 with commercials; credit roll at the end of the Seoul Closing Ceremonies and most of KING 5 News taped off KING/NBC on 10/2/1988 with a few commercials; partial broadcast of The Fortunate Pilgrim (part 2) and a good chunk of KING 5 News at 11 taped off KING/NBC on 4/4/1988 with commercials. TDK T-120
Tape 7 - 'Happy Gilmore' (1996) copied from rental; about 45 minutes of Viewer's Choice bumper music (which apparently aired after the Holyfield-Bowe boxing match on 11/13/92, it's the same minute of music that has been posted to YT in the past); ends with a channel surfing clip on Viacom Cable from 10/17/1992 (and a few minutes of a rare Playboy game show called the Playboy Love & Sex Test), and a little over 15 minutes of World News Now taped off KOMO/ABC on 10/1/1992 with commercials. Magnavox T-120...which originally had Super Bowl XIII on it from 1979. Ugh!
Tape 8 - 'The Lion King' (1994) taped off KOMO/ABC on 5/10/1998 with commercials; a few minutes of KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Eleven at 11 taped 4/12/1998; part of Roy Orbison: The Black & White Concert taped off KCTS/PBS in March 1998 with several pledge breaks hosted by George Ray. Maxell HGX T-120
Tape 9 - Part of 'Jane's House' (1994) and part of 'Harvest of Fire' (1996) taped off Hallmark Channel on 11/14/2004 with commercials. TDK T-120
I've also found other Notre Dame games, an Entertainment Tonight from 2003, and a CNN Headline News broadcast with Gordon Graham, taped in 1991, among other tidbits. I only grabbed about 20 tapes but there were dozens left behind as they were '90s labels and/or movies I already have.
MEANWHILE...May 14th was another extravaganza of tapes. I found half-a-dozen at a yard sale in Terrace Heights (with a pretty view out to Yakima and the valley), and another 20+ at an estate sale off Ahtanum Rd. The latter sale has some Houston recordings, but most are from Yakima. So far, lots of Yakima newscasts have been found in this lot, mostly KAPP and KIMA, and most from the late '90s. Two tapes w/ Y&R episodes, one from 1991 and another from 1995, lots of movies (of course), some taped from TNT/TBS and others from KSTW. I also found 'Guns of Timberland' with Alan Ladd, taped off KTRK 13's 11:00 Movie on 4-12-1989 w/ commercials. This is the second time I've found Houston content this year - first time was on an eBay Beta lot from a very small western Kansas town.
A little bit of vacation footage...and my first find from Palm Springs as well! "Holiday in Your Heart" with LeAnn Rimes, taped off KESQ/ABC on 12/14/1997 with commercials. Too bad the news isn't on this tape. It goes blank after 2:00 in SLP.
In addition, somebody is giving away 75 home-recorded VHS tapes in Ellensburg for FREE! It was her dad's old tapes. I can't take all these...I'm leaving Ellensburg (most likely) at the end of June!
ALERT: I am no longer selling VHS tapes on eBay until further notice.
Reason?
Two packages have been damaged or tampered with by USPS.
I've lost over $90 on these packages. The first one, an individual tape, was bubble wrapped and put into a large envelope. One of the tape's reels was busted and plastic pieces came out of it. A refund will be sent.
The second package was a lot of 35. Bubble wrapped and air-pocketed to the buyer's request. She is angry with me because "is this a joke? I only got 5 tapes"
She sends me pictures. THE AIR POCKETS AND BUBBLE WRAP ARE MISSING AS ARE 30 TAPES!!! This box was sent to her with 5 tapes flying around in the box!!
Who would tamper with some old videotapes? Quincy WA P.O? Wenatchee? Seattle? Bell Gardens CA (the 'black hole' as some call it?) I have lost $60 on this sale...alone! Gas prices are skyrocketing!!
A refund was sent to her last night. I told her do NOT return this box to me. Keep the box as I will be contacting USPS to find out what happened and see if the postal inspectors can figure out what happened. My guess is there's a loser at the sorting facility opening it up with a knife and throwing tapes away for the fun of it. Mail theft is a federal offense. Someone will be paying big-time for this, I hope.
In the meantime, all VHS sales have been suspended on eBay. I can't keep gaining money for 2 days and then having to give it back up for refunds.
Perhaps I can start selling them on Craigslist for now.
Reason?
Two packages have been damaged or tampered with by USPS.
I've lost over $90 on these packages. The first one, an individual tape, was bubble wrapped and put into a large envelope. One of the tape's reels was busted and plastic pieces came out of it. A refund will be sent.
The second package was a lot of 35. Bubble wrapped and air-pocketed to the buyer's request. She is angry with me because "is this a joke? I only got 5 tapes"
She sends me pictures. THE AIR POCKETS AND BUBBLE WRAP ARE MISSING AS ARE 30 TAPES!!! This box was sent to her with 5 tapes flying around in the box!!
Who would tamper with some old videotapes? Quincy WA P.O? Wenatchee? Seattle? Bell Gardens CA (the 'black hole' as some call it?) I have lost $60 on this sale...alone! Gas prices are skyrocketing!!
A refund was sent to her last night. I told her do NOT return this box to me. Keep the box as I will be contacting USPS to find out what happened and see if the postal inspectors can figure out what happened. My guess is there's a loser at the sorting facility opening it up with a knife and throwing tapes away for the fun of it. Mail theft is a federal offense. Someone will be paying big-time for this, I hope.
In the meantime, all VHS sales have been suspended on eBay. I can't keep gaining money for 2 days and then having to give it back up for refunds.
Perhaps I can start selling them on Craigslist for now.
There's a good chance that somebody along the line thought that there may have been something worth stealing to them in the package, but when it turned out to be video tapes (Valuable to you and your customer, but worth nothing to them), they threw most of the tapes out and sealed it back. In working at UPS I found out that there were problems with packages being opened and items being stolen in the Memphis distribution centers all the time. And I don't doubt there being problems with that in the USPS as well.
So far, I haven't had any issues and I've been selling VHS tapes on eBay for eight years now, usually 3-4 times a year as I tend to sell mine in bunches. I sold 45 records prior to that for about six years, and only once had a seller notice that some records were missing, so it should be a pretty infrequent occurrence. That said, don't be afraid to consider insurance, provided that the tape is valuable enough to consider (IMO $20 for a single, $50 for a package). Consider another shipping provider (UPS/FedEx perhaps), even if the cost is more. I'll say this economy is driving everyone crazy, so I'm sorry for your bad luck, crainbebo. That said, employees should have significant disciplinary action for any intentional theft, but sometimes, it could be a result of a weak package forcing a lot of tapes to be left behind, which makes it very important to have them sealed properly. Maybe when you leave Ellensburg you could consider starting over. The 1060-K forms from the IRS isn't helping matters that much, which is a shame since eBay is still the most convenient way to sell, but it seems like slowly but surely with each passing year, eBay is steadily getting worse after being great throughout the 2000s/early 2010s.
I just finished up with a lot of 49 Betas from a seller in SE CT today. So-so results given the content with a lot of HBO movies and a few duds, but it could be worse. Most of the tape stock was from the 1979-82 era, but like your luck with those VK-250's, often could mean much newer content. The '90s finds were taped off Palm Beach, FL stations. Among the tapes featured include the Johnny Carson's Great Practical Jokes special off WBZ/NBC on 11/28/1983 on one tape, most of Wheel of Fortune from 11/27/1998 off WPBF, followed by most of Hollywood Squares, a double dose of Suddenly Susan (both all-new episodes), Carolina In The City, and the opening segment of Will and Grace off WPTV/NBC on 11/30/1998 (with commercials of course) on another tape, and the ABC Sunday Night Movie off WPBF on 1/8/1995 along with most of Guiding Light off WPEC/CBS on 3/4/1994 (including a promo for The Price Is Right on the model tryouts) on a third tape. The oldest finds included a couple of commercial breaks at the end of a couple TV movies along with the first few minutes of the late night news off WTNH and WTEV from January 1980. Too bad it couldn't bee late '80s Wheel with Davidson Hollywood Squares given the tape stock, but that's the way it lands on, and at least the Hollywood Squares contains the original closing, with the current circulating copy of this episode containing the GSN credit crunch. My favorite find was a three-hour block of The Disney Channel from 8/27/1989, part of a fall preview weekend, consisting of The Care Bears' Nutcracker Suite, Teddy Bear's Picnic, Teen Win, Lose or Draw, Once Upon A Mouse, and an inside look at Splash Mountain at Disneyland. That TWLoD episode features a young Mayim Bialik as a guest, even if her hosting future on a certain game show looks to be in jeopardy. An afternoon movie off WLVI with lots of commercials from 11/4/1980 was another great find, along with a couple tapes with vintage films recorded off Shirley Temple Sunday morning broadcasts on WTIC in 1985, with quite a few kids'-themed commercials, even if the films were more for the grandparents of them. Among the HBO finds, one of them included a rebroadcast of the 1980 Red Skeleton's Funny Faces special with on 3/24/1981 with a few promos, along with about half of an episode of Race For The Pennant in September 1981.
Up next for me is this little lot of VHS, with several mid-1980s Scotch tapes visible in this photo. Even though the description mentions about how not every tape may include commercials, seeing Elvis/Reagan footage and most especially, the potential for multiple Soul Train episodes really makes this worthwhile, since original broadcasts of the later are a tough find (even tougher than Solid Gold from my experience).
I just finished up with a lot of 49 Betas from a seller in SE CT today. So-so results given the content with a lot of HBO movies and a few duds, but it could be worse. Most of the tape stock was from the 1979-82 era, but like your luck with those VK-250's, often could mean much newer content. The '90s finds were taped off Palm Beach, FL stations. Among the tapes featured include the Johnny Carson's Great Practical Jokes special off WBZ/NBC on 11/28/1983 on one tape, most of Wheel of Fortune from 11/27/1998 off WPBF, followed by most of Hollywood Squares, a double dose of Suddenly Susan (both all-new episodes), Carolina In The City, and the opening segment of Will and Grace off WPTV/NBC on 11/30/1998 (with commercials of course) on another tape, and the ABC Sunday Night Movie off WPBF on 1/8/1995 along with most of Guiding Light off WPEC/CBS on 3/4/1994 (including a promo for The Price Is Right on the model tryouts) on a third tape. The oldest finds included a couple of commercial breaks at the end of a couple TV movies along with the first few minutes of the late night news off WTNH and WTEV from January 1980. Too bad it couldn't bee late '80s Wheel with Davidson Hollywood Squares given the tape stock, but that's the way it lands on, and at least the Hollywood Squares contains the original closing, with the current circulating copy of this episode containing the GSN credit crunch. My favorite find was a three-hour block of The Disney Channel from 8/27/1989, part of a fall preview weekend, consisting of The Care Bears' Nutcracker Suite, Teddy Bear's Picnic, Teen Win, Lose or Draw, Once Upon A Mouse, and an inside look at Splash Mountain at Disneyland. That TWLoD episode features a young Mayim Bialik as a guest, even if her hosting future on a certain game show looks to be in jeopardy. An afternoon movie off WLVI with lots of commercials from 11/4/1980 was another great find, along with a couple tapes with vintage films recorded off Shirley Temple Sunday morning broadcasts on WTIC in 1985, with quite a few kids'-themed commercials, even if the films were more for the grandparents of them. Among the HBO finds, one of them included a rebroadcast of the 1980 Red Skeleton's Funny Faces special with on 3/24/1981 with a few promos, along with about half of an episode of Race For The Pennant in September 1981.
Up next for me is this little lot of VHS, with several mid-1980s Scotch tapes visible in this photo. Even though the description mentions about how not every tape may include commercials, seeing Elvis/Reagan footage and most especially, the potential for multiple Soul Train episodes really makes this worthwhile, since original broadcasts of the later are a tough find (even tougher than Solid Gold from my experience).
Lot of 8 Pre-Recorded VHS VCR Tapes Sold As Blanks Soul Train, Elvis, ETC | eBay
<p>Lot of 8 Pre-Recorded VHS VCR Tapes Sold As Blanks Soul Train, Elvis, ETC. </p><br /><p>Lot of 8 pre recorded tapes. </p><br /><p>Tapes sold AS-IS as Blanks</p><br /><p>Contains Old 1980s Soul Train Episodes, Elvis Concerts and Footage, Ronald Reagan Debates, Documentary TV specials. Not all...
www.ebay.com
Believe me, I've tried UPS/FedEx on eBay. They throw surprise shipping fees 1-2 months after the package is delivered. I sold an "A.G. Bear" from the 1980s for nearly $80 unopened (except 1x to test the 9v battery). Sold it via FedEx. Surprise, surprise. I get a notice that I have been charged $44.00+ for a 'handling charge.' Never again. Only gained about $30 on that bear altogether.
Should I file a case with the Postal Inspector? There was no insurance, however. Next time, they are all going out Priority Mail, $50-$100 insurance and the BUYER pays for shipping even if it's $36.
Should I file a case with the Postal Inspector? There was no insurance, however. Next time, they are all going out Priority Mail, $50-$100 insurance and the BUYER pays for shipping even if it's $36.
Well, I stupidly passed up on what could have been quite a nice mixed bag of content in one particular eBay lot. This one was sold by a seller in Vermont who I've seen sell used blank VHS lots often over the last few years. Kept an eye on it the last couple of days it was being sold, but the original starting bid was what kept me from bidding on it. Highest bidder ended up bidding $97 for this 60+ tape lot! A bit much IMO, even though I know these things cost more on eBay than they do in the wild most of the time.
What was written on each of the tape labels was what attracted me to it. Here's what was written on some of them...
-Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium (Disney Channel, 1990)
-MTV Unplugged with 10,000 Maniacs (from 1993)
-Billy Gilman's Christmas special (I'm guessing this was a TNN special, as I have found one starring him from 2000 on YouTube)
-Great Performances: A Tribute to James Taylor (PBS, 2006)
-Wife Swap, Supernanny, 20/20, news + (I'm guessing the + means it also included more content than could fit on the label, this one was a T-160, so it could have been an uncut 8-hour nighttime aircheck for all we know, from 2008--I'm guessing WVNY, but you never know)
-Super Bowl XLIII (NBC, 2009)
-2014 Daytona 500 (Fox)
-2017 NHL All-Star Game (aired on NBC in the US and on CBC in Canada, bonus points if this was taped from the latter, even though it's only five years old--this lot and others I've seen from this seller have had VHS tapes of Canadian recordings before)
-Schindler's List on NBC (already have it taped from WKYC)
-The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh + (Disney Channel, who knows what else was on this one)
-60 Minutes: 25 Years (already have it taped from WJW)
-A Woman Named Jackie O (NBC miniseries from 1991)
-Prime Suspect (PBS miniseries from 1992)
-Grand Ole Opry 75th: A Celebration (CBS special from 2000)
-The Wizard of Oz (TBS, 2000)
-Shackleton (A&E miniseries from 2002)
-Country music videos on CMT from 2002 (when country music saw a great rise in popularity following 9/11)
-60 Minutes clip from 2003 with poet Billy Collins
-As Time Goes By/Are You Being Served (taped in 2004, I'm guessing from Vermont ETV, although it could also be BBC America)
-2005 US Open (tennis) (CBS)
-My Name Is Earl, MTV music videos + (taped in 2006, so those music videos would definitely be familiar to me from my high school years--I'm guessing they were taped in the early morning hours because at that time I think that was the only time MTV played videos--again, who knows what else might be on this one)
-New England Patriots vs. New York Giants on December 29, 2007 (game was carried by the NFL Network, NBC and CBS simultaneously)
-Desperate Crossing: The True Story of the Mayflower (History Channel special originally aired in 2006, label says this was recorded in 2007)
-WMUR 9 News, Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives + (taped between 2005 and 2007 according to the label)
-CBS coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention
-ESPN coverage on the death of Mickey Mantle (1995)
-Nick Jr. shows taped in 1995
-1996 Summer Olympic Games (already have a few events from that year's games taped from WKYC)
-The Science of Joy and Mystery of Happiness (label says it was an ABC special from 1996, but can't find anything on it on Google) / 1996 Winston Cup 400 (ESPN)
-New Year's Eve at Sea World 1996 (TNN special)
-1997 AC Delco 400 on TNN (I may already have this one)
-1997 Daytona 500 (CBS)
-TNN 15 Year Celebration (1998)
-Keeping Up Appearances (Vermont ETV, 1998)
-WWF Raw (USA, 1998)
-1998 Florida Citrus Bowl (ABC)
-Final episode of Seinfeld on May 14, 1998 (already have it taped from WKYC)
-The Nanny, JAG, 60 Minutes, 50 Years of Funny Flubs and Screw Ups + (CBS in 1999, although Google says the latter special is from 1998)
-60 Minutes, Becker + (CBS, 1999)
-Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert + (ABC special from 1999)
-Saturday Night Live 25 (NBC special from 1999)
-1978 Stanley Cup Playoffs on CBC (more than likely a dub from another tape, but the label says the commercials are included as well--cool!)
-1988 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremonies (ABC...or maybe CTV?)
-1984 World Championship Skiing (???) (looks like a dub from another tape)
-Guiding Light + (CBS, 1990)
-The American Experience: The Crash of 1929 (PBS, 1990)
-25th Annual CMA Awards (CBS, 1991) / The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 29th Anniversary (NBC, 1991)
-Making Sense of the Sixties (PBS miniseries from 1991)
-Various episodes of The Simpsons (if they were taped before 1997, based on the location, these could have been taped from Foxnet prior to the launch of WFFF)
-Realms of the Russian Bear (BBC movie from 1992--I'm guessing recorded from PBS)
-Final episode of The Golden Girls on May 9, 1992
-MTV stand up comedy, Guiding Light + (1992)
-Nightly Business Report, Lawrence Welk (Vermont ETV, 1992)
-Nightly Business Report (Vermont ETV, 1993)
-1993 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (USA)
-Seaquest DSV, Barbara Walters interviews Garth Brooks (don't know if this was 20/20 or a Barbara Walters Special), part one of The Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (NBC miniseries)
-20/20, Nightly Business Report, Belgian Grand Prix (latter is recorded from CBC, all are from 1995)
Like I said, this seller had sold numerous other VHS lots with rather detailed tape labels. A lot of them had looked like they had some good content. Hopefully someday I'll see this seller pop up with something like this and I'll actually go for it.
What was written on each of the tape labels was what attracted me to it. Here's what was written on some of them...
-Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium (Disney Channel, 1990)
-MTV Unplugged with 10,000 Maniacs (from 1993)
-Billy Gilman's Christmas special (I'm guessing this was a TNN special, as I have found one starring him from 2000 on YouTube)
-Great Performances: A Tribute to James Taylor (PBS, 2006)
-Wife Swap, Supernanny, 20/20, news + (I'm guessing the + means it also included more content than could fit on the label, this one was a T-160, so it could have been an uncut 8-hour nighttime aircheck for all we know, from 2008--I'm guessing WVNY, but you never know)
-Super Bowl XLIII (NBC, 2009)
-2014 Daytona 500 (Fox)
-2017 NHL All-Star Game (aired on NBC in the US and on CBC in Canada, bonus points if this was taped from the latter, even though it's only five years old--this lot and others I've seen from this seller have had VHS tapes of Canadian recordings before)
-Schindler's List on NBC (already have it taped from WKYC)
-The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh + (Disney Channel, who knows what else was on this one)
-60 Minutes: 25 Years (already have it taped from WJW)
-A Woman Named Jackie O (NBC miniseries from 1991)
-Prime Suspect (PBS miniseries from 1992)
-Grand Ole Opry 75th: A Celebration (CBS special from 2000)
-The Wizard of Oz (TBS, 2000)
-Shackleton (A&E miniseries from 2002)
-Country music videos on CMT from 2002 (when country music saw a great rise in popularity following 9/11)
-60 Minutes clip from 2003 with poet Billy Collins
-As Time Goes By/Are You Being Served (taped in 2004, I'm guessing from Vermont ETV, although it could also be BBC America)
-2005 US Open (tennis) (CBS)
-My Name Is Earl, MTV music videos + (taped in 2006, so those music videos would definitely be familiar to me from my high school years--I'm guessing they were taped in the early morning hours because at that time I think that was the only time MTV played videos--again, who knows what else might be on this one)
-New England Patriots vs. New York Giants on December 29, 2007 (game was carried by the NFL Network, NBC and CBS simultaneously)
-Desperate Crossing: The True Story of the Mayflower (History Channel special originally aired in 2006, label says this was recorded in 2007)
-WMUR 9 News, Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives + (taped between 2005 and 2007 according to the label)
-CBS coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention
-ESPN coverage on the death of Mickey Mantle (1995)
-Nick Jr. shows taped in 1995
-1996 Summer Olympic Games (already have a few events from that year's games taped from WKYC)
-The Science of Joy and Mystery of Happiness (label says it was an ABC special from 1996, but can't find anything on it on Google) / 1996 Winston Cup 400 (ESPN)
-New Year's Eve at Sea World 1996 (TNN special)
-1997 AC Delco 400 on TNN (I may already have this one)
-1997 Daytona 500 (CBS)
-TNN 15 Year Celebration (1998)
-Keeping Up Appearances (Vermont ETV, 1998)
-WWF Raw (USA, 1998)
-1998 Florida Citrus Bowl (ABC)
-Final episode of Seinfeld on May 14, 1998 (already have it taped from WKYC)
-The Nanny, JAG, 60 Minutes, 50 Years of Funny Flubs and Screw Ups + (CBS in 1999, although Google says the latter special is from 1998)
-60 Minutes, Becker + (CBS, 1999)
-Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert + (ABC special from 1999)
-Saturday Night Live 25 (NBC special from 1999)
-1978 Stanley Cup Playoffs on CBC (more than likely a dub from another tape, but the label says the commercials are included as well--cool!)
-1988 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremonies (ABC...or maybe CTV?)
-1984 World Championship Skiing (???) (looks like a dub from another tape)
-Guiding Light + (CBS, 1990)
-The American Experience: The Crash of 1929 (PBS, 1990)
-25th Annual CMA Awards (CBS, 1991) / The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 29th Anniversary (NBC, 1991)
-Making Sense of the Sixties (PBS miniseries from 1991)
-Various episodes of The Simpsons (if they were taped before 1997, based on the location, these could have been taped from Foxnet prior to the launch of WFFF)
-Realms of the Russian Bear (BBC movie from 1992--I'm guessing recorded from PBS)
-Final episode of The Golden Girls on May 9, 1992
-MTV stand up comedy, Guiding Light + (1992)
-Nightly Business Report, Lawrence Welk (Vermont ETV, 1992)
-Nightly Business Report (Vermont ETV, 1993)
-1993 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (USA)
-Seaquest DSV, Barbara Walters interviews Garth Brooks (don't know if this was 20/20 or a Barbara Walters Special), part one of The Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (NBC miniseries)
-20/20, Nightly Business Report, Belgian Grand Prix (latter is recorded from CBC, all are from 1995)
Like I said, this seller had sold numerous other VHS lots with rather detailed tape labels. A lot of them had looked like they had some good content. Hopefully someday I'll see this seller pop up with something like this and I'll actually go for it.
Just curious if anybody on here has ever gotten any bogus privacy complaints on videos that they have uploaded? I just got a message from YouTube that the video below got a privacy complaint even though nobody appears in it! What should I do about it, just leave it alone?