Rare 'The Legend of Zelda' 1987 Nintendo NES Version Up for Sale; Bid Reaches $110,000 (And Rising)

The Legend of Zelda copy that has been put on auction is only preceded by a single, extremely rare issue.

By Edited by Gadgets 360 Newsdesk | Updated: 7 July 2021 14:49 IST

Rare 'The Legend of Zelda' 1987 Nintendo NES Version Up for Sale; Bid Reaches $110,000 (And Rising)

Photo Credit: Heirtage Auctions

The Legend of Zelda copy put on auction is fully sealed

Highlights

The Legend of Zelda will be on auction for two more days
It was priced $39.99 back when the game was released
Nintendo recently announced a new Switch with OLED screen

A rare, sealed copy of Nintendo NES 1987 version of The Legend of Zelda is up for sale at an auction. The collector's item has so far got a bid of $110,000 (roughly Rs 82 lakhs). There's still two days to go before the auction closes. Interestingly, when the game was first launched more than 30 years ago, it was priced around $39.99 (roughly Rs 3,000 based on the current exchange rate), which was considered pretty expensive for that time. This “NES R" version was significant as it was "only produced for a few months in late 1987". Rev-A replaced this version in early 1988.

“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,” said Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The auctioneer said there is only one variant that precedes the one it is offering. And that is the "NES TM" variant. However, it is widely believed that only a single sealed "NES TM" example exists.

Nintendo Switch Gets an OLED Model With Larger Display, Improved Kick-Stand

So, the copy Heritage Auctions has put up for sale is the earliest sealed copy any buyer should realistically hope to obtain. It called this copy a “true holy grail among games.” If you want to get hold of the rare copy of the game that is often billed as the apotheosis of classic Nintendo games, start placing your bids at Heritage Auction's website.

Meanwhile, Nintendo recently announced the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) with some notable upgrades to the original Switch. It will go on sale later this year in two colour sets at a price of $349.99 (roughly Rs. 26,000).

What were the best games at E3 2021? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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