Question For The Folks with the HUGE VHS/DVD Collections

[happyattacks]

Been a while since I've posted, as life has kept me very busy...

This may sound like a stupid question, but I've caught myself up on the latest news and sites etc - I'm puzzled by something.  There are many fine GS collectors (Most whom have fantastic web pages) - You know who you are, who've got literally tons and tons of stuff from the past 5 decades. Now, I see most offer to "Trade" for something else. Now my question is, how in the world do you manage to accumulate so many shows by just "trading"? It's not like I have a pile of old "Play the Percentages" sitting in my basement to trade. Where did you guys get this stuff originally? Do you really do that many Trades anymore? Just doesn't seem to me that most people wouldn't have anything to trade at all, short of all the stuff you can tape off of GSN, but anyone can do that...   I mean, I have some stuff from the 80's and 90's that slowly deteriorating on Video, but that's really about it.   So really, I have nothing worth trading, so how the heck do you ever aquire so many of these gems?

My Favorite show of All time was Face the Music, and I had a ton of them saved on VHS from the USA Run, but a big house fire nearly a decade ago destroyed them, and I have nothing to trade, and no way to really get them back.

Just some random thoughts this evening!

Matt

[JasonA1]

If you have self-taped episodes from the 80s and 90s, you're in. I started with an episode of "Family Challenge," a "Feud" I taped from GSN at a friend's house, two episodes of "Double Dare" from Nick repeats and a few GS crossovers into regular shows, and managed to find somebody who did not have most of that. His tape bred my next trade, with bred the next...once I got somebody to trade for 3 tapes worth of stuff, that's where it started to blossom. What helped the most was finally getting GSN and adding a bit here and there to pad it. But basically, that's how it starts. If you are interested in the field, the collection you describe having now seems good enough to start on.

Two big traders, our very own Chuck Donegan and Mr. Page o Clips Jamie Locklin, still evidently trade as their webpages flesh out.

-Jason

[gwarman2005]

For me, I was lucky enough to find a few traders who were big wrestling fans.  Fast foward through a few big wrestling/GS trades and my collection blew up.  Another thing I found helpful was to find all the oddities I could get my hands on.  Trebek's High Rollers, Pitfall, Super Pay Cards, and so on.  Of course for the handful of really great guys, there were about a basket full of asses who a) wouldn't return my e-mails, or b) real rude saying they were interested.  If you're not trading, fine, no skin off my nose... but don't be a game show god DICK about it.  Don't act like you're superior because you have 6,000+ shows and I only have maybe 100.  You all had to start somewhere too ya'know.

Sorry for going off on a tangent, not my intention.  As long as you have 4 or 5 people you trust, you'll always find a way to make your collection grow.

[TV Favorites]

I started off by taping everything that interested me from GSN.  I also went for syndicated programs showing in my area...sometimes they can be popular to trade since not everyone has all syndie game shows shown in their area.  Anytime a game show special was coming on, I recorded it.  Anytime GSN showed a special show or a rare episode (such as they do sometimes in the B&WO time) I recorded it.

My first trade came about because there was someone trying to acquire many of the GSN episodes of Lingo as they could.  I used to keep an episode guide for the show and had recorded nearly every episode, so I was able to do a few hours trade and received many early TPiR episodes.  I kept my eye on the game show trading boards...since I taped many episodes of shows from GSN and networks/syndication, I would often come across someone who missed a particular episode, so I would help them out and they would give me some rarities in exchange.

I have been trading off and on for about 3-4 years and between trading and keeping my eyes open for shows airing currently and on GSN, I have  amassed a collection of over 16,000 game show episodes.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'TV Favorites\' post=\'118167\' date=\'May 10 2006, 07:31 PM\']
I have  amassed a collection of over 16,000 game show episodes.
[/quote]
By my count, and assuming 12 half-hour episodes on a 6-hour EP tape, that's a minimum of 1333 tapes. And I gotta think there are some hour shows in there, or that you don't record everything at the crappy slow speed, especially if you're keeping it for archive.

So my question is: where the hell do you KEEP all of those tapes? And what are you gonna do with 16,000 game show episodes?

[Allstar87]

I always loved game shows, but I didn't know about game show trading until 2001. I thought it sounded like fun, and wanted to start my own collection. Since all I had were a bunch of "Legends Of The Hidden Temple" episodes I recorded when I was 7, I started taping everything I watched. Whenever GSN did a marathon or TPIR did a special show, I went out of my way to record it. I ended up with over 200 tapes in two years, and at that point I hadn't even done a single trade yet. I finally netted my first trade in February 2004; someone was looking for episodes of 100 Mexicanos Dijeron, and I happened to have 9. And I've been heavily trading ever since.

I also got a small boost from a very unlikely source. About a year ago, my grandmother let me look through all her unlabeled VHS tapes. The end result? 8 episodes of 90's Wheel of Fortune, all in great condition, with original ads.

And if you're just starting a collection, just hang in there and tape whatever you can. And keep checking the game show message boards; you never know when someone's going to ask for last Thursday's Jeopardy.

[TV Favorites]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'118169\' date=\'May 10 2006, 10:58 PM\']
[quote name=\'TV Favorites\' post=\'118167\' date=\'May 10 2006, 07:31 PM\']
I have  amassed a collection of over 16,000 game show episodes.
[/quote]
By my count, and assuming 12 half-hour episodes on a 6-hour EP tape, that's a minimum of 1333 tapes. And I gotta think there are some hour shows in there, or that you don't record everything at the crappy slow speed, especially if you're keeping it for archive.

So my question is: where the hell do you KEEP all of those tapes? And what are you gonna do with 16,000 game show episodes?
[/quote]

The tapes are in shelves and boxes...I had to stop taping for quite a while due to lack of space, but I finally modernized to a DVD recorder so I have been working on converting the tapes over.  I haven't decided how many of the tapes will be converted yet...depends on how much time I have.

Much of the collection results from me recording shows to watch later.  I never really started recording with the intention to trade.

[Sonic Whammy]

I had the same kind of experience. For me, it started with day after day in late 97 taping Season 1 Win Ben Stein's Money's. Made a full tape's worth. Then, a couple months later, I was doubly blessed with the new season, and my now wife's uncle having access to GSN to tape all the Tic Tac's, Joker's, and eventually all Card Sharks that I wanted. And as I kept taping, I started searching around these parts. Got the Larson shows right way from Connolly (anyone seen him lately, how's he doing now?), and it just grew...

Today, over 1800, I'd guess, counting what's not chronicled. Now, it's true I don't trade much, but it's from my busy-ness as a teacher. During the summer I can tear it up if I want. Meantime, I TiVo stuff, especially as it's airing if I see an episode that just stands out in my book. Taped yesterday's Lingo, for instance, because I loved Chuck's total state of looniness over the weird gameplay that day.

Best part, when I make trades, if there's space left on the tape I get, I use it when I can. And ultimately, I will DVD some more stuff. Just don't know what yet.

And for what I'd do with it all? Hey, I'm just the kind of guy who loves to share, and between some of my friends and my students, there's always something to show. Plus, you never know when you just feel like pulling a show out because you're in the mood to see Tom Kennedy host Price or something...

[JasonA1]

In response to Gwarman's tangent (and in no means reflecting on you in particular Gwar), the WRONG way to solicit trades is to ask somebody whose trading status is unclear. Go out of your way to find out if somebody is active before you start to pester. I've gotten countless requests despite my collection page saying I am not active, then said page going down and thus no way for annoyances to tell whether I have shows - and yet people still ask me if I'd "like to see their list."

-Jason

[Adam Nedeff]

[quote name=\'happyattacks\' post=\'118162\' date=\'May 10 2006, 09:35 PM\']
Now my question is, how in the world do you manage to accumulate so many shows by just "trading"?
[/quote]

Time. I have 3,500+ episodes, but I've been at this since 10th grade. That was eight years ago. Holy crap, that WAS eight years ago...Wow...

Where did you guys get this stuff originally?

I recorded some stuff from GSN and got lucky. I got a bunch of justifiable rejections from folks who weren't interested. Then I got lucky and Chuck Donegan wanted some of what I recorded. From there my game show collection prospered.

Do you really do that many Trades anymore?

Not many, but that's not because I have everything. I have a job so that's time consuming. It's also a crappy job and I still live with my parents, which is pathetic. Trying (and failing) to find a better job is also time consuming.

So really, I have nothing worth trading, so how the heck do you ever aquire so many of these gems?

Again, time.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'118176\' date=\'May 10 2006, 09:07 PM\']
and yet people still ask me if I'd "like to see their list."
[/quote]
Hell, I've had people do the same thing to me, and I've been quite open about the fact that I don't trade, have never traded, don't plan to start trading, and have never so much as published a SNIPPET of a tape list. And yet some idiots STILL try to swing a deal...that doesn't exist.

[TraderRob]

For me, it started with a gift tape from Jake Tanner with a bunch of TPIRs from GSN and my interest in the John Davidson version of Hollywood Squares (can't imagine why I seemed like the only one) netted me a few original broadcast episodes that no one else had.  Kris "Xanfan" Lane gave me a real good trade and as was previously mentioned by others, it sorta blossomed from there.  

Rob

[gwarman2005]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'118176\' date=\'May 11 2006, 12:07 AM\']
In response to Gwarman's tangent (and in no means reflecting on you in particular Gwar), the WRONG way to solicit trades is to ask somebody whose trading status is unclear. Go out of your way to find out if somebody is active before you start to pester. I've gotten countless requests despite my collection page saying I am not active, then said page going down and thus no way for annoyances to tell whether I have shows - and yet people still ask me if I'd "like to see their list."

-Jason
[/quote]

No sweat.  I always check to see if they're page says whether they're availible or not.  It's just the polite thing to do.  There's always the possibility that I caught them on a bad day or I'm the 300th person to bug them for a trade, who knows.  I know if I let people know I'm up for a trade or whatnot I go out of my way to make a trade work.  But you know how it is, you always find someone being a real horses ass for no reason.  That was the reason for my tangent.

[Dbacksfan12]

Personally, I don't see how one can have enough time to dub all those episodes...I hated having my TV occupised for 6 hours, while I was recording tapes.

Plus, I didn't care for how some ended, but this is not the time nor the place.  However, I got started thanks to Mitch Groff...I taped some shows off GSN for him, and I got some stuff in return; and that was how I got started; and given that GSN has a reasonably decent lineup right now, you might find someone who is interested that doesn't have access to GSN.

While I'm at it, would anyone want a Snappy?  Or is this now a badly antiquated piece of equipment?

[catkins522]

Plus, all of the "bad traders" are either banned or not interested anymore and moved to a newer topic.  Most of my stuff (left in storage) were gifts from people from the original early GSC.  Get to know a friend mod or loyal poster and things with start picking up via email or im, not posting here.  ;-)

Charles