The most valuable DVDs on the market run the gamut, from out-of-print Criterion Collection favorites to coveted Pokémon merch. Whether your beloved childhood DVDs are worth money is yet to be seen. But, patience is a virtue, and these valuable DVDS should tide you over for the next decade or so.
6 Valuable DVDs & DVD Collections Worth Money
While VHS tapes are finally old enough to capitalize on that nostalgia factor and bring big money at auction, DVDs aren’t far behind them. Though we’re probably a decade or so away from the DVD collectible craze, the most valuable DVDs today might surprise you.
| DVDs Worth Money | Recent Sales Price |
|---|---|
| Walt Disney Treasures Premium Collection | $2,000 |
| Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films | $1,300 |
| Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys | $1,250 |
| AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa | $980 |
| Howl's Moving Castle | $600 |
| Breaking the Waves | $200 |
Walt Disney Treasures Premium Collection: $2,000
If there’s one universal truth about Disney adults, it’s that they love Disney merch. Whether it’s Disney VHS tapes, pins, or ears, they’ll drop thousands of dollars on the latest Disney drop. Naturally, the DVD collection that tops our list comes from the House of the Mouse.
Walt Disney Treasures Premium Collection is a 57-disc collection of Disney Treasures content from 2009. Only 3,000 of these went up for sale to D23 members, making it quite a rare Disney collectible. One of these collections recently sold on eBay for $2,000.
Related: 9 Most Valuable VHS Tapes You Should Have Treated Better
Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films: $1,300
If you’re American and enjoyed some international cinema while growing up, you can thank Janus films for broadening your horizons. Janus Films is an American film distributor that took international hits and brought them to the American market, most notably Ingmar Bergman’s Seventh Seal (1957), which put their name on the map.
Criterion Collection specialty releases are often highly coveted in the film world. Nothing beats this massive tome of beloved international classics. Originally, Criterion sold the 50-disc collection for $850, though copies frequently sell for the low thousands. For example, one went for $1,300 in an eBay auction.
The Criteron Collection is an American distributor well-known for restoring and selling important films from across cinematic history.
Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys: $1,250
Pokémon’s popularity is limitless. There are expensive trading cards and vintage video games, so it’s unsurprising that original DVD installments from the film franchise would garner some attention.
Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys from 2004 might not be the first Pokémon film to come to mind, but any Pokémon movie 1st print will find its auction audience. This highly-graded 1st print copy recently sold for around $1,250 online.
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa: $980
You can’t get more influential in the filmmaking world than Akira Kurosawa. The legendary Japanese director behind masterpieces like Seven Samurai made an indelible mark on cinema history. Criterion Collection’s 25-film volume AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa was originally sold for $399. Now out of print, this collection is highly sought after. One complete, mint-condition copy recently sold for $980 online.
Related: 7 Most Valuable 8-Track Tapes for a Music Blast From the Past
Howl’s Moving Castle: $600
Howl’s Moving Castle — one of Hayao Miyazaki’s best-known animated films — is a beloved piece of early-2000s animated cinema. However, DVD copies aren’t particularly special in their own right.
However, one unique copy came up for an eBay auction that catapulted it to a $600 hammer price. “For Your Consideration” DVDs are screener copies of films sent to the voting body for major film awards like the Golden Globes & the Academy Awards.
Screener copies are rare and don’t often come up for sale, making this Howl’s Moving Castle copy a great discovery.
If you’re in the market for out-of-print Criterion Blu-rays, set your sights on 1949’s The Third Man. Old copies frequently sell for $200-$300 online.
Breaking the Waves: $200
Lars von Trier’s films may be polarizing, but they have a committed cult following. The writer & director’s 1996 film Breaking the Waves often gets pushed aside in favor of his flashier projects like Melancholia. Yet, if you’ve got the out-of-print Criterion Blue-Ray & DVD combo from 2014, you’re in luck. One sealed 1st print of this combo recently sold on eBay for just under $200.
When Analog Cashes In
In a streaming-heavy environment, physical copies of movies and TV shows are novel and charming. Capitalize on the nostalgia wave that pop culture’s currently riding and see if you’ve got any of these valuable DVDs shoved in a wardrobe somewhere.
