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DVDs represent an awkward transition out of the videotape era and into the world of discs. They certainly felt like a massive leap forward at the time, but that time was nearly 30 years ago. We all have a pile of DVDs lying around, but they probably don’t make it out of their boxes often. Luckily, some of those old discs have racked up a considerable amount of value in the past few decades.
In 1995, a cartel of tech companies agreed upon a single video format that they called Digital Video Discs. They dropped 32 titles on their 1997 launch day. It only took until 2001 for DVDs to outsell VHS tapes, eventually driving all but the most dedicated collectors out of the VHS market. Blu-ray arguably replaced DVDs, but streaming truly wiped them out. Not unlike its predecessors, the Digital Video Disc still has a strong collector market.
The Dragon Ball Z Dragon Box
eBay: $5,000
There was a time when the adventures of Goku and his friends were the go-to name in anime. Akira Toriyama’s legendary saga ran for 291 episodes between 1989 and 1996. It lived on long beyond those years in syndication on TV outlets like Cartoon Network. Fans of a certain age may remember owning or renting VHS tapes that held three or four episodes apiece. At least the DVDs had the courtesy to come in elegant, decorative packaging.
Between 2009 and 2011, Funimation released seven box sets of Dragon Ball Z DVDs that comprised the entire series. They dubbed those collections the Dragon Box Sets. Together, all seven sets fuse to create one collected Dragon Box, which features a shared image of Goku and Gohan. It’s an excellent collector’s item for those looking for it, but you may need a wish from Shenron to get one. A complete Dragon Box in perfect condition sold for $5,000 on eBay in November 2024.
The Simpsons 1-20 Limited Edition DVD Boxset
eBay: $5,000
The Simpsons, as everyone on Earth knows, is one of the longest-running shows of all time. Love it or hate it, there truly seems to be no force in the universe that can kill this classic sitcom. Even 20 years in, which was over 15 years ago, the series slid its timestream around in wild ways. A flashback in season 20 depicts Marge and Homer as a troubled dating couple the year after they first appeared on-screen as husband and wife. It’s a blast from the past, but it also represents a huge potential price tag.
The Simpsons Complete 1-20 DVD boxset includes the first 20 seasons of the beloved series. It runs for as much as $5,000 on eBay, but that isn’t as absurd as it seems. It turns out there are only 1,000 copies of this specific collection in the world. Each box set features a specific number in the corner, stating its position out of 1,000. You can find the same Simpsons episodes anywhere, but this slice of Springfield is very exclusive.
Essential Art House 50 Years of Janus Films 2006 Collection 50 DVD’s International Cinema
eBay: $1,899.95
Film industry insiders Bryant Haliday and Cyrus Harvey Jr. created Janus Films out of an art house theater in 1956. The next year, Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal sent American viewers into a foreign film fervor. Janus made a brilliant business out of bringing US citizens art from all over the world. Americans learned about Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Truffaut, and tons of other beloved filmmakers through Janus.
In 2006, Criterion put out Janus’s Essential Art House DVD collection to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. It includes 50 films to commemorate the occasion, packing in everything from The 400 Blows to The Wages of Fear. According to the Criterion Collection website, it should set a viewer back $850, but it’s also out of print. Turning to eBay, you’ll find a pristine set recently sold for $1,899.95.
Walt Disney Treasures Zorro Limited DVD Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons
eBay: $1,250
From 2001 to 2009, Disney released the Walt Disney Treasures collection. Each entry carried a few discs full of beloved Disney cartoons, with one exception. The ninth and final wave of the Treasures collection featured every episode of the 1957 Zorro TV series. Practically every wave became a big seller on eBay, but the ninth collection was very special.
Each wave of Disney’s Treasures collection produced fewer copies than its predecessor. By the time they got to Zorro, they only dropped 30,000 discs. That’s why a collector with both tin cases can fetch up to $1,250 for the prize. The prices vary wildly, but there are a few examples of truly tremendous price tags for the masked swordsman’s adventures.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure OVA Box Set
eBay: $1,025
Anime was much harder to get during the heyday of DVDs. Without streaming, the main legal method of acquiring anime was importing extremely expensive box sets. Super Techno Arts was one of many companies benefiting from that inconvenience. They produced DVD collections of the OVA adaptations of Hirohiko Araki’s classic manga, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. They also allegedly went out of business in 2008.
You can find one of the six collections for triple-digit price tags, or even under $100 if you’re lucky. Collectors who have three sets might score $200 or $300 for their find. However, the grand prize would be all six DVDs in their box set. One such collection recently went for $1,025 on eBay.
Unsolved Mysteries: The Complete Collection
eBay: $1,000
Unsolved Mysteries was one of the most popular series on TV. The show saw newscasters walk through both cold murder cases and paranormal events. It was a bit odd to do deep dives on very real killings and aliens under the same opening credits, but people turned up for both kinds of episodes. Hilariously, most of the home media releases separated the show into specific categories. The most expensive collection, however, makes no such distinction.
Unsolved Mysteries: The Ultimate Collection contains 25 discs and 190 episodes of the original series. The decorative box resembles a rusty old treasure chest. You can find the collection for as little as $400 or $500, but more pristine editions can run up to $1,000 or more.
The Vomit Gore Trilogy
eBay: $600
Straight up, don’t look into this one if you are even the least bit squeamish. You may be familiar with this trilogy’s horrific title if you frequent “disturbing cinema” YouTube videos. It’s a disgusting torture horror film that follows a sex worker’s downfall. All of the worst stuff you can imagine is in the film, but there’s still a crowd willing to pay for it. As a debatably banned film, it has a considerable price tag.
The prices on eBay can fluctuate, leaving an item’s value hard to determine. The full trilogy sold recently for just under $600. They’ve been out of print for ages, but the secondhand market still stands tall. A brand new 2010 edition has a listed price of $1,999.99.
Making Fiends: The Complete First Season
eBay: $459.99
Short-lived shows are another great subject for overpriced home media. Networks like Nickelodeon burn through projects year in and year out, leaving behind one or two DVDs for the scattered fans. Making Fiends is a great example, lasting barely a year with just over two hours of content. It did continue online, but hardcore fans want those original six episodes.
The Making Fiends DVD went out of print not long after it came out, so there aren’t too many copies available. Two sold on eBay in the final months of 2024, one for $300 and the other for $459.99. The show famously received limited promotion, leaving its physical media precious to Nickelodeon historians.
The AK 100
eBay: $800
Legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa didn’t make it to 100 years of age, but that didn’t stop Criterion from honoring his centennial. The director behind Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Rashomon left behind an impossibly deep well of classics. The good people at the Criterion Collection assembled 25 of his greatest hits into the AK 100 collection. Unfortunately, it went out of print years ago.
The AK 100 varies in price on eBay, but the most recent sale places its value around $325. Only a month earlier, another box set sold for $799, and yet another sold for $810. That isn’t the wildest price tag, especially when you consider the fact that Criterion originally sold it for $399.
The Norm Show
eBay: $400
Norm Macdonald was one of the most impactful comedians ever to pick up a microphone. We’ve all seen him in a million different settings, but he hails from the era in which stand-ups fell into sitcoms after they found success. Norm’s focused on the titular talent as a hockey player turned social worker. It ran for three seasons and 54 episodes, but its physical media became limited.
You can only find The Norm Show in an eight-disc set, which contains the entire show. Recent sales on eBay saw the show bring in as little as $120 and as much as $400. There aren’t a ton of listings for the show, implying a lack of remaining copies. It is, of course, out of print, leaving far too few to go around.
