A sealed Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge of The Legend of Zelda has sold for a “world record” sum of US$870,000, according to auction house Heritage Auctions.
The cartridge dates from 1987 and is still in its original packaging. This beats the previous record holder, when in April some fool paid $US660,000 for a 1986 Super Mario Bros cartridge.
These records are for NES cartridges, only. Both these purchases were trumped by a sealed copy of 1998 game Super Mario 64, which sold for an idiotic $US1.56m.
The auction house attempts to explain the significance of the Zelda cartridge, writing:
“Of all of the games we’ve offered in our auctions, this sealed, early production copy of the first game in the groundbreaking Legend of Zelda series is no doubt the apotheosis of rarity, cultural significance, and collection centrepieces. A proverbial trifecta of collector perfection that only one will receive the honour of calling their own.”
“While it is a hard truth, it is a truth nonetheless — none of the copies we’ve offered of this title previously could even attempt to hold a candle to this one due to its incredibly rare variant that holds early production status. This matter is completely inarguable. This is the only copy from one of the earliest production runs that we’ve ever had the opportunity to offer, and, possibly will have the opportunity to offer, for many years to come.”
They later note this isn’t even from the first production run, and a rare version of The Legend Of Zelda exists.
Plus, there are probably old warehouses filled with them, waiting to be discovered…
