What value for old reel-to-reel video?

[Tallone]

I made my normal Monday visit to Goodwill yesterday. The only thing that looked interesting was this:



This is a 12.5" reel of 2" wide video tape. The reel is made of aluminum. This looks like commercial grade TV stuff. Some of this old analog stuff sells pretty well on ebay but I couldn't find anything this big - in terms of either the size of the reel or the width of the tape. I paid $20 for it but I am concerned I paid too much. Does anybody have any experience with this sort of thing? By the way, there are some labels on the back but they give no hint as to what (if anything) is recorded on the tape.

 

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[trdhrdr007]

I got several of those in an estate I bought. I couldn't find a good market for them & ended up selling them locally for a good bit less than $20. I hope you have better luck than I did.

 

[Tallone]

Did yours have the tape or were they just empty reels? The one I bought is about 2/3 full of tape.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

isn't that a computer reel? not video?

2 inch computer tape reels - Bing Images

 

[Tallone]

Perhaps but the only 2" magnetic tape I could find with some internet searches are quadruplex video tape. Such as:

Quadruplex videotape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[vpnavy]

Dang Tallone - brings back some UNIVAC (IVc) processing memories...

 

[diggummup]

I think you will double your money on it at least. Here is a similar one with a BIN of $69.99 with 6 people watching it.
2 inch Quad Video Tape Dr Scholl's Commercials | eBay

And here is an ampex brand that sold really well-
Ampex 2 inch Quad Test Videotape | eBay

 

[trdhrdr007]

The ones I found had the tape on them. They had been stored in a shed behind the main house & the tape was totally destroyed due to age, heat & humidity. Stuck together so bad I ended up taking the reels apart to get the solid block of tape off. I sold the reels empty.

The ones I had were for video. I also found several 2" video heads from Ampex. Ampex was a pioneer in the field. The video heads were designed to be swapped in & out of the machine relatively easily. Anyone that owned a machine tried to have 3 heads.....one to use, one as backup, & one sent back to Ampex to be rebuilt. It's my understanding that the bearings somehow ran on compressed air & any contaminants in the system caused them to seize. I still have the video heads...will probably be listing them on ebay eventually.

I checked out diggumup's links. I'd have loved to get that kind of money for mine. When I did my ebay search there were no full reels & empty ones weren't selling for much. I also believe the condition of the tape on mine would have hurt the value. If not it wouldn't be the first time I sold an item for less than top price.

 

[Tallone]

@diggummup: I saw those on ebay, too. I wonder how much the known content of the tapes contributed to their selling price. Unfortunately, I have no idea what (if anything) is recorded on my tape.

@trdhrdr007: The tape on my reel is in very good condition so I am guessing it has been stored inside.

I know of at least one group dedicated to preservation of quadruplex video so I'm hoping a nice reel with a lot of tape in good condition will be attractive to somebody. I will probably list my reel on ebay sometime this week. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

 

[diggummup]

I don't think a Dr. Scholl's commercial would hold much extra value. IMHO. In their time these tapes would cost $250-$300 each, very expensive. Because of those high prices, back in the day tv stations etc. would reuse these tapes, erasing and rerecording over and over and over. I can almost guarantee that there is something on that tape. How about a pic of the labels on the back? There are a few (very few) places that will convert the media (if there is any) to a dvd. If there is one in your area, you can take it to see what, if anything, is on it. That could increase the value. Try contacting one of these guys, they may be able to refer you to someone in your area (wherever that is).
2" Quad Video Tape Transfer & Restoration Services
Antique Video
Quad Tape Transfer About
Video Park Quad and 1" dubs

 

[cyberdan]

Who knows maybe it is some lost episodes of Jack Benny show or Uncle Milte.

 

[Tallone]

Thanks for the links. I will check those out. Here is a picture of the back of the reel.



There are 2 white labels with the following printed on them:

81818 07 021 M

400 2X 2550

Doesn't mean a thing to me. I'm sure you are right that there is something on the tape. Maybe if somebody buys it with the equipment to play it, they will let me know what is on it.