Rare early production copy of “The Legend of Zelda” game sold for $870,000

A rare, early production copy of the Nintendo Entertainment System classic title “The Legend of Zelda” was sold yesterday for a record-high $870,000 USD, at an auction in Dallas, Texas.

The sale occurred during Heritage Auctions’ first-ever Video Game Auction [Archive]. What makes this copy incredibly special is where it is believed it comes from.

“It is widely believed that the copy sold Friday is one of just two sealed “NES TM” copies graded by Wata. It is from a variant of the game that was produced for just a few months in late 1987 before it was replaced by the “Rev-A” variant in early 1988,” says the press release. “The “NES R” variant was preceded by just one other variant: the “NES TM” variant, which is the true first production run.”

This specific item was already surpassing the $100,000 mark during its pre-bidding phase three days before the official start of the auction.

The recent auction surpassed the sealed 9.6-rated copy of Super Mario Bros. which was sold for $660,000 USD on April 2021, almost six times higher than another SMB copy sold last year.

Heritage Auctions ranks as the largest auction house in the United States.

Fans who missed the live event can check out all but the end of the historic auction right here.

An internet session of the auction continues tomorrow Sunday at 1pm Central time.

[Sources]: Heritage Auctions: ‘Legend of Zelda’ Shatters World Record at $870,000 to Kick off Heritage Auctions Video Games Event – [Archive]. The Legend of Zelda – Wata 9.0 A Sealed [No Rev-A, Round SOQ, Early Production], NES Nintendo 1987 USA – [Archive]. Heritage Auctions (YouTube): The Legend of Zelda – Wata 9.0 A Sealed [No Rev-A, Round SOQ, Early Production], NES Nintendo.