The Legend of Zelda has remained a household name amongst Nintendo's catalogue of franchises for the past 35 years. With such a long history, some products of the franchise are bound to be rarer than others, including the games that started it all on the NES. However, a sealed early production variant of a Zelda cartridge had recently appeared on Heritage Auctions, with bids reaching an insane amount.
Rare variants of Nintendo games being auctioned off for high bids is a very familiar story. One of the last NES games that had been auctioned off was Super Mario Bros. with a bid of $660K, breaking the auction record for most expensive video game collectible. Much like Mario, the original NES Zelda game was put up for auction a couple of times on the site. This copy in question is not only one of the best sealed, but it could also be one of the earliest produced versions of the game.
According to the description written by the auctioneer, this copy is a "No Rev-A" version. This means it is a copy of the game that was produced in late 1987, before it had been replaced by a "Rev-A" or "revised A" variant in 1988. The only other rarer variant than this is a "NES TM" which is the true first production run of the NES cartridge. As it stands right now, this version of Zelda on the NES is the earliest possible version of the cartridge that can be obtained in a market. The description goes on to say that this is the first public opportunity to have this collector's item. It boasts a very good sealed state with a 9.0 Wata A sealed rating.
The current bid on this variant of the game as of this writing is $110,000, with a buyer's premium of $22,000. Only five days remain on the auction, with collectors having a chance to bid on the ground-breaking game that started an entire genre and franchise. The timing of this auction is appropriate, too, as the Zelda series is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
The auctioneer's final descriptor for this cartridge variation describes it as a "grail" for collectors, continuing to note the rarity and chance for collectors to claim a historic piece of Zelda franchise. For the fans who wish to celebrate the series longstanding history in a less expensive way, Nintendo will be releasing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD this July. A remastered version of the original game on the Wii, the latest Skyward Sword trailer details new things that The Legend of Zelda fans can look forward to.
Source: Heritage Auctions