Update: Sealed Legend of Zelda NES Cartridge Sells for $870,000, Sealed Copy of Super Mario 64 Immediately Breaks Its Record
Posted on July 11 2021 by Mike Midwood
Update 2: A sealed copy of Super Mario 64 was just sold at an auction for $1.5 million USD, meaning the copy of The Legend of Zelda sold earlier this week no longer holds the record for the most expensive single video game sale in history. As the value of rare retro video games, especially Nintendo games, continues to increase, it’ll be exciting to see which title breaks the record next. Perhaps the Zelda franchise will once again claim the top spot someday.
Update 1: Despite my prediction, this “No Rev-A” NES cartridge of The Legend of Zelda has become the most expensive single video game sale in history. Selling for a staggering $870,000 USD, it has surpassed the previous record holder, a sealed NES copy of Super Mario Bros., which sold for $660,000 in April earlier this year. That’s a lot of rupees!
Original: With a legacy as storied as that of the Zelda franchise, the collectible value of older merchandise is often astronomical. Rare relics from the series’ past can cause lavish spending sprees from committed collectors; sometimes the kind that’s typically reserved for a new car or house. Somewhere, sometime soon, somebody’s bank account will be getting a little lighter, as this extremely rare, early production cartridge of The Legend of Zelda has hit auction at an incredible $110,000 USD (plus $22,000 USD buyer’s premium).
Appearing on Heritage Auctions, this exorbitant starting bid is a product of the cartridge’s rarity, singularity, and pristine condition. The game received a Wata Rating of 9.0 out of 10, meaning it still exists in nearly perfect shape along with the attendant packaging. With a cartridge like this, that’s a good thing to hear. Described as a “grail” by the auctioneer, this is a “No Rev-A” copy of the game. This refers to “Revision-A,” meaning that this production run, which only lasted “…a few months in late 1987”, predates any alterations made to the base game. The only proceeding variant is the “NES TM” version, indicating the very first official release of the game. According to the auctioneer, only a single copy of the “NES TM” version is rumored to exist, with the offered “No Rev-A” version being only slightly more obtainable. Apparently, a full hand isn’t needed to count the number of confirmed copies.
Proxy bidding on this lot will continue until July 9th, 2021, and live bidding will occur from July 9th to July 11th. While this is an outrageously pricey collector’s item, it is unlikely to break the current record for most expensive game ever sold. That distinction currently belongs to an NES copy of Super Mario Bros. which sold for an insane $660,000 USD in April earlier this year. It boasted a higher Wata Rating (9.6) and is arguably more synonymous with gaming history than The Legend of Zelda. Still, this is an impressive item that demonstrates the value that people consider rare and classic games to hold.
If your pockets are deeper than Lake Hylia, I suppose you can head on over to Heritage Auctions to place a bid on this lot. Regardless, what do you think of this incredibly valuable Zelda cartridge? Have you ever paid a premium for a rare item? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Heritage Auctions (via Gamesradar, Gamerant), IGN
Hi, I’m Mike Midwood and I’m a Senior Editor at ZeldaDungeon! Video games and literature are my greatest joys in life. An avid Zelda fan, some of my other favorite games include the Resident Evil and Dark Souls series. I hope you enjoy my content here on ZeldaDungeon!
“The sword has no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.”
