Rinker on Collectibles

RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1536

It Is Impossible to Purge Wrong Information

Historically, once misinformation appeared in print, it was extremely difficult to purge. Retractions and corrections are buried deep inside a newspaper. A correction in a second or subsequent edition or printing of a work often went unnoticed. The initial printing containing the inaccurate information remained on book shelves.

The 1980s publication explosion of antiques and collectibles titles was a boon to collecting. These titles provided collecting checklists and a wealth of background material. Antiques and collectibles publishing companies did not employ fact checkers to validate the information submitted by the authors. Few authors worked from original sources. Obsessed with their presumed expertise, some authors presented guesses and speculation as fact. The rush to publication by rival authors working on the same topic added to the problem.

Once inaccurate information appeared in print, it was perpetuated, primarily by individuals writing articles for trade periodicals and the news media. These writers blindly copy verbatim information in reference books.

I lost track of the number of instances when I found contradictory information while researching company histories and identifying and dating an object. Mistakes happen. I made some, the result of haste and a failure to follow my own standards of requiring a second and third source to verify the information.

The arrival of the Internet has accelerated the distribution of inaccurate information. The Internet is too expansive to police. It is far easier to trust than to question. In this age of instant gratification, no one is willing to invest the time to crosscheck anything. If the information on the Internet has the appearance of correctness, especially if it supports the preconceptions of its user, it is assumed to be valid.

I used to get upset when I read “Top Ten Things to Collect” articles in periodicals. I gained control of my temper by reminding myself that the periodical had a limited shelf/reader life, and most readers would forget what they read in three to four months.

Inaccurate information on the Internet persists far longer. It has the potential to continue for decades. Thanks to the sensationalism of Internet sound bite journalism, the more sensational the misinformation, the more likely it is to be remembered. I cringe every time I read another AOL or Huffington Post “Hidden Treasures in the Attic” article. There is a special place in the lower depths of the earth for those who author these pieces.

On February 25, 2015, CBS Channel 13 in Sacramento, California, aired a segment entitled “Vintage Toys Could Bring Big Cash Out of Your Attic” by Tony Lopez. It began: “It’s becoming one of the fastest ways to make some cash—selling your vintage toys. / A $150 dress? / A $1,000 Hot Wheels car? / A $350 action figure? / A $300 video game? / Vintage toys, games and action figures you might have in a box, closet, or toy chest could be worth some serious dough.” I found the TV segment on the internet. How many individuals listened carefully to the words “might have” or “could be?” What are the odds of a person finding one of these treasures – 250,000 to one? What Lopez fails to mention is that 99 percent of those toys in the box, closet, or toy chest are worthless. Lopez deluded his viewers into thinking they “might be” rich.

A June 10, 2016 email from Jerry Klatt of Timberlake, Ohio, read: “I listen to Whatcha Got? every week on GCN. You warn us about eBay’s prices unless they sell through. Here is an incredible example. Search eBay for Disney Black Diamond Classic VHS tapes. Some sellers are asking over $17,000 for tapes worth $5.00 in reality. Disney produced millions of these classics. [They] have very little value. I wish this was true, as I have a whole library of these tapes. What is going on?? Is this a giant scam or are all these sellers nuts?”

The answer is threefold. First, several stories, including one on eBay, suggests that the earliest editions of some Disney Black Diamond Classic VHS tapes are rarities. The word “rarities” is a buzzword that should raise the hair on the back of the neck of any potential buyer. These tapes were mass produced. Rare is a meaningless term. [See: http://www.ebay.com/gds/Why-You-Should-Be-Collecting-Disney-Black-Diamond-VHSs-/10000000015531868/g.html for the full text of the eBay article posted February 8, 2010.]

[Author’s Aside: eBay assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the articles that appear on its website. Further, the article does not reflect the sell through values for these tapes since 2010.]

Second, several eBay sellers listed Disney Black Diamond Classic VHS tapes with “Buy It Now” prices in the thousands of dollars. The phrase “one needing to see it to believe it” applies. Individuals researching these tapes find these listings. Those researching the value of these tapes to sell them fall victim to the miracle that will make them rich.

Third, the sellers are nuts. America is a bandwagon nation. When a bandwagon rolls down the street, everyone wants to jump on. Individuals who jump on the bandwagon by buying these expensive tapes are speculating that the market will go even higher. It will not. They will lose. They stand to make a higher return if they invest in the penny stock market.

At five dollars each on the secondary market, Disney Black Diamond Classic VHS tapes are overpriced. VHS tapes have a limited lifetime. They will deteriorate, both in terms of color loss and tape disintegration. Nothing can prevent this. Mass produced VHS tapes were not manufactured with archival quality tape. VHS tape technology is rapidly becoming obsolete. Thirty years from now, few will own machines capable of playing these tapes. A possible renaissance such as that experienced by 33 1/3 rpm vinyl and hi-fi/stereo component systems will not happen. The landfill will be the final resting place for the VHS tape.

Several Internet writers have attempted to correct the inaccurate information about the value of Disney Black Diamond Classic VHS tapes. On June 2, 2016, Kim LaCapria writing on Snopes.com noted: “Several blog posts claim that ‘Black Diamond Collection’ Disney films on VHS are worth thousands of dollars, but the tapes are not rare nor selling for nearly that much… Such blogs made the common mistake of not noting the disparity between what sellers ask for such items and what buyers are actually willing to pay.” LaCapria went on to note that the misleading articles and posts cite only list (asking) prices and never question if any sold. LaCapria also punches holes in the argument that because Disney adds, edits, and alters tapes, the earliest versions of a title are worth more. This is not true. [See: http://www.snopes.com/black-diamond-collection-disney/.]

Allee Maning’s June 10, 2016 article entitled “Calm Down: Your Disney VHS Tapes Aren’t Worth $9,000” on www.vocativ.com, chronicles the inaccurate reports that spread the false value rumor and traces them back to the 2010 eBay article. Once again, inept news reporting by individuals who are more interested in sensationalizing versus reporting the true facts prevailed. See: http://www.vocativ.com/327061/calm-down-your-disney-vhs-tapes-arent-worth-9000/.]

The “hot news” aspect of Disney Black Diamond VHS tapes as gold in the attic or bookshelf will fade. However, it will not go away. Even if the ridiculous eBay price listings are removed, which they will not be as long as the seller is willing to pay to keep them on eBay, and the eBay article expunged, the story will persist.

The point of the above is twofold. First, make certain information provided about antiques and collectibles to the general public or private individual is accurate. Check and double check facts. Second, do not accept information provided about antiques and collectibles without question. If the provider cannot provide indisputable proof (not believable speculation), be skeptical, polite but with a noticeable shake of the head, and quietly walk away.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Selected letters will be answered in this column. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

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