It was $200 in 1993....Now it's FREE

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies I-X' started by TrickyDickie, Jun 24, 2018.

  1. TrickyDickie

    TrickyDickie Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I was on my way back from Walmart in my hometown a couple of days ago and took a side street instead of my usual route. Good thing I did. Someone had set out a bunch of free stuff by the sidewalk. I rescued over a hundred movies on vhs. Included were the first four Trek movies in full-screen format. But, also included was a set just like in these images below. All of the first six movies, in letterbox format. No watch, certificate of authenticity, or insert, but the 6 cards like these are there in their clear plastic page and the key card in its envelope is still attached to the lower left hand corner of the box of the one I rescued. The spring lock for the lid doesn't seem to work, but from what I gather that mechanism was better in concept than in execution. The condition of the 6 movies leads me to think that they were all only watched once each. Their boxes also all look like new. For that matter, all of the 100+ movies look like they were well kept. A lot of goodies. Boxed set of all 5 of the Dirty Harry movies. Boxed set of 3 Greta Garbo movies that look like they were only watched once each and looks like the set was quite expensive when new. Special promo version of 'Escape from New York'. Etc.

    I have a very vague memory of seeing these sets in stores 25 years ago and thinking how grossly overpriced they were at $200 a pop, even with the watch included. Limited to 5000 sets....that works out to $1 million for Paramount.

    It amazes me that people will shell out large sums for something at one time and then later on down the road just throw it away. Everything I rescued would have been soaked with rain in a short time if I had not happened along when I did. It's a very quiet side street that gets hardly any traffic and no ad was put up on Craigslist.

    Several months ago, we bought a beautiful Panasonic 25" tv with built-in vhs player/recorder for $9.99 at a thrift store. It's in perfect condition. We were just waiting to find some movies to play on it. :D

    Back in the day, they said vhs tapes would not last more than a few years....the tape would degrade and become unwatchable. Funny, but plenty of ones that are now over 30 years old still play like new. They actually beat dvds that get so easily scratched and start to freeze and hiccup.

    [​IMG]

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  2. Vger23

    Vger23 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I have that box set in very good condition, all the extras included. My copy of TVH from that set isn't even opened!
     
  3. TrickyDickie

    TrickyDickie Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Kudos for taking good care of yours. :techman:
     
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  4. ItIsGreen

    ItIsGreen Captain Captain

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    I remember getting a later VHS set with all the movies up to First Contact in it in widescreen, along with another tape with the 30th anniversary celebration thing on it for my 13th or 14th birthday. It wasn't a super special edition like that, but it was pretty expensive at the time and I watched the hell out of it. Can't remember what happened to all my VHS tapes, but I don't have it anymore. Shame.
     
  5. 2takesfrakes

    2takesfrakes Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Outstanding! There ain't no bigger $avings than FREE!
     
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  6. TrickyDickie

    TrickyDickie Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That other meaning of 'savings' is great, too....the rescues. My wife and I love rescuing things. We have managed not to become hoarders, though. By last year we had accumulated about 500 books, 300 vhs tapes, and 200 record albums....most of all of that was freebies over the course of time. We happened to find just the right collector and sold the whole collection for $800. We were way ahead and nothing was thrown away. Now we are starting a new cycle. :techman:
     
  7. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    This is cool! Well done on the lucky find :techman:

    I still have a lot of VHS's, and even a machine to play them on. ;) There are gems on VHS that I still find out there at flea markets and thrift stores for only a couple of bucks that has never been released on DVD, Blu or streaming.
     
  8. TrickyDickie

    TrickyDickie Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I went back today and they had put out a few more miscellaneous items. Got some craft supplies for my wife and a jacket from the 1994 Michael J. Fox / Kirk Douglas movie 'Greedy'. Those are evidently quite scarce after almost 25 years....none at all up on ebay right now. I will be checking every few days for more goodies. The house is a big old historic one, so who knows what else they might put out.
     
  9. Kor

    Kor Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    At least you didn't spend years and hundreds of dollars building up a Laserdisc collection. These days I see them in the bargain bin at the thrift store, and nobody has any idea what they are!

    Kor
     
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  10. TrickyDickie

    TrickyDickie Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Checked back today, no more movies or Trek stuff. They had added a few items that I was not interested in. They finally have a sheet of plastic to keep off the rain. They didn't have it for the movies, but now that they set out an ancient printer that only has value as a boat anchor they want to keep it dry. Go figure....
     
  11. TrickyDickie

    TrickyDickie Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    More goodies!

    I have rescued 58 LPs, including several of those Reader's Digest multi-albums. All in good condition and not all scratched up. Now I have to get a stereo with a turntable again.

    A bundle of Historical Research publications.

    A few more movies on vhs....including this gem:

    [​IMG]

    :techman:
     
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  12. TrickyDickie

    TrickyDickie Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    This is continuing to be a great source for all kinds of free goodies.

    The latest:

    135 cassette tapes, including the soundtrack for TMP recorded from vinyl lp. A lot of opera and classical, including some very obscure and scarce stuff. Aldous Huxley reading 'Brave New World', Basil Rathbone reading Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway reading some of his stuff, two cassettes of Hal Holbrook doing his 'Mark Twain Tonight', John F Kennedy speeches. A lot of very interesting and unusual stuff.

    30 photos from the total solar eclipse of February 26, 1979.

    Autographed photos of Brian Setzer and of Katey Sagal.

    'Monster' album cd from R.E.M.
     
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  13. jaime

    jaime Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I have that. It was my eighteenth birthday present. Two films to a tape. I still watched the celebration thing with my baby son a few years ago. He always found the clips and trailer fun.
     
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  14. jaime

    jaime Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Draw a line from each doctor in order, then first to the then present, fifth.
    It’s a pentagram.

    Source: I had this as a poster. The centre Time scoop also has a very subtle time vortex in it.
     
  15. Peach Wookiee

    Peach Wookiee Cuddly Mod of Doom Moderator

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    jaime, please try and avoid double posts, if you would.
     
  16. jaime

    jaime Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I try, but I answer to something. Read something else, answer to that. If it’s a slow day they kind of bunch up. Yes there’s multiqulte, but it’s a pretty alien way of talking.
     
  17. Peach Wookiee

    Peach Wookiee Cuddly Mod of Doom Moderator

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    Just reminding you of the rules. And though it seems alien, please try using the multiquote.