An incredibly rare variant ofThe Legend of Zeldabroke the record for the most expensive video game collectible, selling for a ludicrous amount of money.
While many rare retro games exist and can indeed be expensive, uncommon variants of popular games can be especially lucrative. With the popularity ofThe Legend of Zeldaseries, it stands to reason that collectors would be willing to pay high prices for a chance to own a rare piece of the series' history.
RELATED:Zelda Fan Creates Realistic Version of NES Link and The Results Are Horrifying
The cartridge, which is factory-sealed and enclosed in a protective case, sold for $870,000, making it the current record-holder for most valuable known video game collector’s item. The previous record was set earlier this year by a$660,000 copy ofSuper Mario Bros., and both sales were made on the same online auction platform, Heritage Auctions. The cartridge is contained in its original box, factory sealed and professionally “graded” in the quality of its condition, with Heritage Auctions claiming that the amount of copies of this variant existing as factory-sealed can be counted on one hand.
The cartridge is a late 1987 version that came out before the 1988 revision, and the revisional differences are very slight. Different versions of the game make minor changes such as fixing a bug allowing the player to collect a large amount of heart containers quickly, and adding a trademark to the title screen next to the game’s logo. There are no other known differences between the two versions, and re-releases of the game also only contain very minor differences.
Other than very minor differences hardly noticeable in normal gameplay, there is no significant difference between the versions to justify playing one over the other, but the rarity of the No Rev-A version makes it a highly valued collector’s item. Considering the longevity of the classicZeldagames that are actively played to this day in live challenge runs, such asMajinPhil’s No Hit run ofMajora’s Mask, the collector’s market is understandably fond of rareZeldaitems, even if they are not necessarily the best versions.
Thankfully for fans, the relative lack of distinction between the versions ofThe Legend of Zeldadoes not affect anyone but the most careful of collectors. The game is currently available to be played on all Nintendo consoles that still have a functioning online storefront, and the significantly less rare Rev-A version of the original cartridge is a much more reasonable price thanThe Legend of Zelda’s No Rev-A variant, averaging around $25 on eBay.
The price of retro gaming has gone up in recent years, with original hardware becoming more expensive and more prone to breaking from age. While many rare games have been preserved through backups and emulation both official and unofficial, those who prefer to play on original hardware may be frustrated by the high prices. Nintendo’sSwitch re-release ofThe Legend of Zeldapartially solves the problem for that specific game, but many classic games are still unavailable to be played on new hardware.
MORE:Metroid Dread, Breath of the Wild 2 are Reminiscent of a Darker Nintendo Era
