We Finally Watched Nukie: The VHS Grading Video

Overview

The video mixes commentary on the economics of collectibles with a behind-the-scenes experiment—ending with the hosts destroying their own VHS collection of a notoriously bad movie.

Main Points and Arguments

• A VHS “speculation” craze is driving extreme prices. The video opens with an example: a sealed 1986 Back to the Future VHS reportedly sold for tens of thousands to $100k+ (the subtitles also mention $75,000 and $100,000), with the seller’s association to actor Tom Wilson. The host(s) suspect this kind of market activity is manufactured or “fishy,” arguing that Back to the Future isn’t rare enough to justify the price.

• The hosts question what “makes something valuable.” They discuss that, in economics, “speculation” means buying risky items hoping they rise in value. They argue there’s often no reliable signal that sealed VHS tapes will ever become worth large sums—likening the odds to a lottery.

• They introduce key value factors:

  • Rarity (and how rarity is relative to how many people even care)
  • Provenance (an item’s “story,” like famous associations or documented history)
  • Condition (but condition can be a narrow metric if the buyer can’t verify the item’s real quality beyond the packaging)

• They frame grading/authentication as potentially useful—but limited. The hosts say sealed VHS listings often require professional grading and authentication (which costs money). They argue grading adds “validity,” but also claim grading companies can largely certify condition of packaging/seal rather than deeper value. They suggest that auction houses may get more bids than eBay, implying different credibility/visibility channels.

• “Experts” and grading are not the same as guaranteeing value. There’s skepticism about how “experts” determine value—condition affects bids, but market value still seems driven by hype, scarcity narratives, and buyer demand.

The Real Experiment: Graded Tapes

They send six random tapes (from their own collection) to a grading company to see what comes back. The tapes include:

• Jurassic Park (possibly first edition; promo sticker)
• Rocky IV
• Conan the Barbarian
• Death Ring (obscure; sealed promotional copy not for resale)
• Tentacles (described as fake, including counterfeit imagery and post-shrinkwrap stickers)
• Nukie (the target “joke” VHS)

Key outcome: the grading service dismisses the fake tape, and they report that Nukie “did pretty well.”

Notoriety vs. Popularity Theory

The video tests the idea that notoriety + rarity can outperform sheer popularity. While the biggest-money examples are often from popular mainstream titles, Nukie (a bad/forgotten VHS) could gain value due to:

• being sealed
• having some internet notoriety (via RedLetterMedia coverage)
• potentially being rarer in sealed form

The Final “Lesson”: Destroying Copies

• They destroy most of their Nukie copies to make the sealed versions more rare. They destroy 104 copies of Nukie using comedic, destructive methods (including a wood chipper and other absurd props/actions). They do this after admitting they’d never even watched Nukie themselves until then.

Auction and Donation

• They auction the remaining graded sealed Nukie and donate the proceeds, split between:
  • St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
  • Wisconsin Humane Society

Takeaway

The hosts’ takeaway is cynical-but-playful: market hype can be real, but it’s not “intrinsic.” VHS “value” appears driven less by artistic merit and more by collectors’ attention, packaging/seal status, rarity narratives, and speculation.

Presenters / Contributors

• Richard Evans (identified as a “certified expert” in grading VHS tapes)
• Jay (host/participant)
• Mike (host/participant)
• Rich (host/participant handling the experiment/grading process)
• Jared (participant in the destruction/production segment)
• Unnamed grading company / auction platform (referenced but not identified)
• RedLetterMedia (mentioned as a source of Nukie internet notoriety)