📼 Vintage Cassettes: 1963-2010

Welcome to the digital archive of Vintage Cassettes. This site is dedicated to showcasing high-quality imagery of sealed compact cassettes, serving as a nostalgic journey for collectors and music enthusiasts alike.

📂 Navigation & Archive

Our collection is meticulously categorized by Manufacturer and then sorted by Production Year.

Brand Directory

• Major Labels: AGFA, BASF, DENON, FUJI & AXIA, GoldStar, Hitachi & Lo-D, JVC & Victor, National, Technics & Panasonic, Maxell, Memorex, Philips, Radioshack & Realistic, Raks, SKC & SMAT, Scotch, SONY, TDK, TRIAD & THAT's.
• OEM & Specialty: AudioMagnetics, Ampex, Aurex & Toshiba, Boots, EMI, Kenwood, Konica & Magnax, Luxman, Magna, Marantz, Nakamichi, PDM, Pioneer, Sanyo, Sharp, Teac, Yamaha.
• Other Formats: Reel-to-Reel (R2R), TEAC CVS.
• Educational Resources:
  • History of the Compact Cassette
  • BASF Chrome Tape Formulations
  • External Links, Boards, and Websites

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📊 Database Statistics

Currently, the archive hosts $\approx 2669$ unique sealed specimens. The distribution is as follows:

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🚀 The "Golden Era" Line-ups

During the peak of the format, the "Big Three" evolved their tape formulations. Here is the progression for $\text{Type } I$ (Normal), $\text{Type } II$ (Chrome), and $\text{Type } IV$ (Metal).

Important Notice: I am a curator, not a vendor. I do not sell the cassettes displayed on this website.

Note: If you need basic tapes for casual use, you can find modern TDK SA (\approx \1.25$) or Maxell XLII ($\approx $1.00$) online. These are not "vintage" but are functional.

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🛠️ Archive Maintenance & Updates

📅 August 29, 2016

Performed general site cleanup and integrated 77 new entries to fill historical gaps. Special thanks to: EZ647, liglem, kond, kostya1969, sieraadj, sowa pszemondzala, werter, toyoko-tape-selector, and yuko_ru.

New Additions included:

• Denon: Pastel Live, GX Pocket Black (1985 JPN), RD-F Blue/White, Lyceenne (3 versions), SoundSketch (3 versions), Chinese Club, Mellow Wind, Love success, Come On My House, Spanking New (2 versions), Han-Gy Don (1986 JPN), S-Port Normal (1992-93 JPN), GR-IS (1993-94 JPN), DX1 (1995-97 JPN), Lapisia Yellow/Green (1997-2001 JPN).
• Sony: HF-ES & UX-ES (1988 EUR), HF-S (1992-94 US/SA), HF (1995-96 EUR/SA), HF (1999-2001 EUR/SA).
• Sanyo: UD (1974 JPN), LN C-90 (1976-78 JPN), We Love Music (1983-85 JPN), After School Yellow & Flowers (1986-91 JPN).
• Other Notable Adds: BASF SK 60 (1973 US), EMI XT (1981-82), Fuji FR-II Super (1985-87 US), Goldstar HD & CD II PRO (1991-92), Hitachi UD C-60 (1966-69), Lo-D UD new (1981-82 JPN), Hitachi DJ Blue/Pink & Twinkle Yellow/Green (1985-86 JPN), Konica JJ (1984-86 JPN) & XR-II (1990-92), Maxell C-120 Extra & UD C-120 (1970-71), PDM Tri-Oxide Ferro (1981-83), PDM 500 Crolyn & 1100 Metal HG (1983-86), Philips SF I (1985-86 EUR) & Moving Sound FS (1987-88 EUR), Otto CD (1979-83 JPN), Scotch Highlander (1982-86 US), SMAT SK (1974-76), SKC AX (1987-89 US), SMAT SK/SF/MT/CD-I/CD-II (1995-98), SMAT SH-X (1999-2001), National RT-46CA/B/C (1985-86 JPN) & FA Yellow (1987-88 JPN), Technics C (1972-73 JPN) & NX (1985-87 EUR), TEAC COBALT S & STUDIO G (1984-85), Toshiba E (1973-76), Toshiba F C-90 (1976-78), Toshiba FS C-30/C-90 (1987-90), Aurex AX (1979-80), Yamaha NR (1982-83 EUR) & MU-R (1984-85 JPN).

📜 Previous Milestones

• March 20, 2014: Sanyo section completed (Thanks to kirunavaara and agfabasf).
• February 4, 2014: Ampex section expanded by 9 tapes (Thanks to kirunavaara).
• January 30, 2014: Agfa section expanded by 14 tapes (Thanks to kirunavaara).
• January 17, 2014: Added rare finds from Audio-Collector, CapstanJack, and Kirunavaara:
  • Basf Ferro Super I (Asia 1991), Fuji FR-II Super (EUR 1988), Hitachi UD (EUR 1988), JVC UF-I (EUR 1990), Konica EL (EUR 1984), Maxell UDS-II (US 1984), Philips CD (EUR 1990), Pioneer N1x/N1z (SA 1983) & N1T-S (SA 1985), SMAT LN/SD (1974), SKC CD (EUR 1990), TDK AR (Australia 1992), That's FM-S (EUR 1987).
  • Correction: Split the Philips 1984-86 line-up into two distinct categories (+5 tapes).
• December 14, 2013: Ampex section finalized (+27 tapes).
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