An X0 demo disc is not exactly run of the mill. I think your sarcasm is misplaced. In the world of "collectors", often rarity is important. A man who collects cars might love 68 Corvettes, and seeks them out . But, to appease the collector in him, he'll pick up a Delorean (or even rarer car ).

The next time "Tokyo Raiders" comes your way ,just toss it. You may not be into that particular genre. Let me also remind other forum readers that your "sheep" comment is a PERSONAL generalization.

Nothing, but that's not the way it works and you are being disingenuous to pretend that it is.

If you like Tokyo Raiders sooooooooo much then I guess its cool to pay $1000 for it. But if some noob "collector" just searches LDDB in reverse order of release and immediately begins to lust after whatever the first thing on the list is regardless of quality or subject matter, that's just...diseased mind, a person who never learned to love.

A man that collects multiple '68 Covettes is going to have stuff in his collection that there is literally ONE example of in existence. No LD ever made is as rare as a period race car. He certainly isn't' going to want a DeLorean, a garbage car that didn't sell out until it was out of production for almost 20 years.

Rarity is important, but the rarest Volkswagen Golf (the Golf Limited of which only 71 were built) is still worth less than the cheapest Ferrari you can get (probably a 512 TR, which can be got for $30k on a good day). Its only worth millions if its both rare AND great. Tokyo Raiders is like a special edition Vauxhall Chevette they only made 4 of in a certain color. Its SUPER rare but nobody gives a crap because there is much better stuff out there, even if its not as rare. Tokyo Raiders is basically the Chevy Cavalier Sarajevo Edition, a car so rare I can't even find a good picture of it on Google but nobody cares.

Rarity ALONE does not make a car valuable. Even if there is literally only one of them.

The LD collecting community isn't as large or mature as the car collecting community so it will take some time to weed out out the sort of speculators that ruined comic books in the 90s and are ruining video game collecting today. Maybe they'll never learn, or maybe it doesn't matter because there aren't enough speculative big tymers to ruin it anyway.

Car collecting was a high end analogy, if you go into dissect mode about it, of course its not a duplicate of the less exotic world of laserdisc. I appears the obvious does require further explaination. You should have read what I wrote in brackets next to Delorean. Your over thinking the subject matter, but just for clarity, you could discuss your "rarity alone" theory about car collecting with Jay Leno who has "literally only one of them".

It would be hard to deny that "serious" laserdisc enthusiasts would pass up a "Tokyo Raiders" type laserdisc just because its not their bag , but you are entitled to underestimate the lovers of this format.

i've never heard that about mighty orbots, but i am happy that i was a crazy kid and woke up each morning to record them off of the TV.
i have all the episodes that i burned onto DVD
not the best quality but it's a fun series.

Now that i think about it, the DeLorean is a perfect example, really, of illustrating my point, because its only rare and exotic to people who don't know what they are talking about. Any true car enthusiast (someone who understands things like provenance, engineering, history, etc, and not just rarity) will know its basically a Lotus Esprit made much much worse and it isn't worth jack to anyone who isn't a huge Back to the Future fan. It takes a lifetime of obsessive fandom to understand why a DeLorean wouldn't even be allowed into any respectable car auction, but you only have to hang out on eBay for an hour to know what a "rare" and "valuable" laserdisc is. No film school required!

Yes, insults do give those that use them a false sense of empowerment. Again though, you didn't read the brackets and dug waaaaaaaaaaaaay too deep into cars .

boys boys boys

True Fan ...I hear you

Collecting discs simply on the basis of release date is not my thing either. However, late releases of high quality content do have a place in my collection: for example, I was able to get a mint copy of Jin-Roh for a great price (~$30) on Yahoo JP some time ago, and it is an example of a late LD (2001) that actually is also a great anime film. Considering the kind of bucks titles like Tokyo Raiders (released just 7 months later than Jin Roh) bring, Jin-Roh is a deal when you take into account that it's a classic (some of the last hand drawn, cel based theatrical anime, Oshii involvement etc.) and a late release too (with wonderful cover art!).

Jin Roh could be nominated as one of the rarer anime laserdiscs out there: copies turn up pretty infrequently, and I have never see one on eBay. Even the prices in the few hundred dollar range here on LDDb seem pretty fair, given the amounts those generic late Hollywood titles bring.

A better analogy would be video games.

Not everyone wants the same games that might be rare. Hell, there were a jillion copies of Final Fantasy VII made but they were selling for $90+ on Ebay at one time.

Then there are truly rare games like Sapphire for the PCEngine or Panorama Cotton for the Mega Drive (only 25,000 of those ever made) that sell in the $100s. Yet, does every gamer want those games?

Since, like movies, games fall into genres. Not every genre is every collector's cup of tea. Like in the case of those rare games I listed--they're cutesy shooter games. I can name on one hand out of my gaming friends all who like shooters; let alone cutesy ones.

Now if you're a collector who likes to get things that are rare (where rarity > actual content), sure you'll want all the uber-rare titles. But I can't name too many people who are like that nowadays (with that kind of disposable income.)

A title like the one I listed before, Dinosaur Island might be kinda rare, but I doubt too many of us here would actually seek it out (because it's naught but a schlock title.) Hell, I doubt too many of you even heard of it before I posted it!

Damn
I got that one some time ago in a huge lot I bought...
Didn't pay any attention to it since it didn't look like my cup of tea
They we're all mint discs! If I only knew, I would have shipped it to you.
To be honnest, I think more than one "wanted" title passed trough my hands.
When I buy collections I'm dumping them ASAP once I found my personal wanted discs.
I learned something here, I'll be more patient next time and make a list of discs I bought.

Some collectors would want Dinosaur Island even if its not their type of film, its just that simple. Collecting many times is based in genuine rarity alone. Think of non electronic bidding (actual auctions). I would agree with you that the purchase of rare LDs may be limited by the hobbies possible lack of affluent fans. But they do exist as evidenced by some of the deep pocket purchases you see on ebay or elsewhere.

Actually, this is the holy grail for me, but I'm hoping I'll find it in a lot for under $3

Came across that one about 2 years ago in Antwerp. The seller was aware it wasn't a bargain bin title
I would have bought it if he wasn't charging 85 euro for it. I couldn't blame him. He was getting rid of his huge collection and let this be a title that has to pay for "the loss of money" when one decides to sell their collection.
I have no interest in that title but as a "rarity" or "movie" I can see someone would like this one. There's something around for everyone luckily
If I would have gotten the disc I would have sold it.

If money is an object buying dvd's is the way to go
I have no problem with someone spending 1000USD on a ld. I wouldn't do it but to each his own.
I got into the format in 1992 and back then a new disc would cost 3x more than a dvd nowadays here in Belgium.
Never gave it any thought I was overcharged. I wanted to watch my favorite movies in the best conditions possible at the time. I have no regrets, It was fun when those illegal discs made it to the country
Value is what one is prepared to pay.
Diseased....

Well said.

I for one would *love* to have a copy of The Matrix....but $90 is more than I want to pay.

My last "holy grail" disc I really wanted was the Discovision of Smokey and the Bandit. Maybe its not a holy grail to most (though its rot free and plays flawlessly); but I did play that "I want an old disc" game; except I picked a movie I like...and a disc that was fairly cheap.

Unobtanium doesn't excite me; mostly because everyone has a different idea of it. When I bought my player and first lot of discs; the friend I bought them fromhad Pink Floyd's Pulse in there; telling it it was *the* disc probably worth more than the entire lot. He thought it was rare unobtanium. At the same time; the copy of "Why Me" he dismissed as a run-of-the-mill bad movie with Chris Lloyd. However; has anyone ever seen a copy go up for sale? Last I checked LDDB didn't have any history. And I've yet to seeone on ebay. I don't have any idea how much Id sell it for, if I ever did. (Why Me; not Pulse. Pulse is all over ebay averaging $30 to $50 last I checked.)

Like anything; its worth whateve someone wants to sell it for and what someone will pay. You want to see some outrageous stuff, look at the pinball market. Everyone thinks their Evel Kinevel pinball "has to be worth 10 grand"; thinking its rare. They think just because they have a machine from the 60s that its worth "a ton"...they made these things by the thousands.

Personally; I'm waiting for someone to sell me The Matrix for $25; that'd make me happy.

I can see your point. The Matrix came along here 3 times...
First copy sold for about 110USD
Second copy about 90USD
Last copy I almost gave for free on the condition the buyer would buy the whole "bargain bin" discs I got stuck with. He did

My personal copy of the Matrix I found for free in mint condition when I purchased a huge collection some years ago.
I see what you mean, It was title I wanted but not at any price since there are plenty around you know. I'm sure it will come by sooner or later to you.
Collecting laserdiscs is a hobby asking for patience. Would be no fun in buying them all at once or would it...?

i think everybody knows that this is worth money and you won't be finding it for 3 bucks anytime soon.

i remember when tower video couldn't give them away, they were asking 48 bucks each for them and had over a dozen
i didn't even get it back in the early 1990s. i bought mine later on ebay for around 60 bucks.

so start saving up tsak

Nope, I'm asking the Fates to throw it in my lap for cheap, lol.