A new item appeared on eBay this morning that should be of interest to anyone who holds a special place of nostalgia for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. A seller using the name “tjcurtin1” has placed a pre-release prototype version of The Legend of Zelda as well as a brand new, still-sealed copy of the game up for auction for the princely sum of $150,000.
He offers the following description:
This is a complete version to my knowledge and as far as I know does not differ from the released version. The simple label reads “HP NOA 2-23-87 Legend of Zelda.” The actual release of the game was August 22nd 1987. I can only speculate that the 2-23-87 refers to the date they completed this prototype and being so close to launch is why there are no differences from the released version. Again I’m speculating. If you google NES Zelda Proto you will see the history of this particular cart. I will be happy to add pics, answer questions (to the best of my ability) and field offers for this title. If you look through my 100% positive eBay history you will see I am a regular purchaser and seller of video games. This is without a doubt the pinnacle of my collection and I challenge anyone to come up with anything more important in the video game collecting scene. Stadium Events? How many carts are out there? Hundreds. NWC Gold Cart? Again how many? There is one Prototype in the world for the NES Zelda, one prototype that started the launch of a generation of gamers and you are viewing it.
Also included is a VGA copy of The Legend of Zelda for Nintendo graded 85. Serial number 76805573. This is a beautiful copy of the actual release of the game. If you would like to verify the authenticity of this game please visit vggrader.com and follow the instructions for how to lookup this title.
Based on the images provided and everything the auction reveals about the items, that prototype seems legit, which is great news for prospective buyers as that cartridge is really what you’re bidding on here. The sealed Legend of Zelda is a nice extra, but by itself it would only go for a few hundred dollars at most. Thus, if you want this thing, you’re going to have to ask yourself if you can feasibly drop $150,000 for a nearly complete yellow plastic box containing a game you’ve likely played a few dozen times anyway.
Personally, we can’t justify the cost. We’re still saving up our pennies for one of these bad boys. When it comes down to a choice between slaying Ganon yet again, and taking your dog for a walk from within the cockpit of a heavily armed mecha, the giant robot wins every time.
