Earlier this year, a copy of Super Mario Bros. became the most valuable game collectible ever, selling for $660,000. However, the game is no longer the most valuable game collectible ever as of today. A sealed copy of NES’ The Legend of Zelda has been sold at auction for $870,000. The description for the item reads “Truly, the term ‘grail’ only begins to scratch the surface of describing this game. Of all 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 centerpieces. A proverbial trifecta of collector perfection that only one will receive the honor of calling their own.”
What makes this copy so special from others is its incredibly rare variant that holds early production status. This is the only copy from one of the earliest production runs and was only produced for a few months in late 1987. It was replaced by the “Rev-A” variant in early 1988. There is only one other variant that precedes this one, the “NES TM” variant, which is the first true production run of The Legend of Zelda. It’s widely believed that there is only one sealed “NES TM” copy and no one knows if it will ever come to market. This “NES R” variant is the earliest sealed copy that one could realistically hope to obtain.
The Legend of Zelda is celebrating its 35th this year. During E3 2021, Nintendo revealed several things in honor of the game. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD was announced and is set to release on July 16. A new Game & Watch themed around The Legend of Zelda was also announced. It features four games that players can enjoy. The original version of The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and the Game & Watch game Vermin with Link as the playable character. There is also playable clock themed around The Legend of Zelda and a playtime Timer themed after The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link. Nintendo also revealed that the sequel to Breath of The Wild will be released sometime in 2022.