As of: February 28, 2024, 4:14 p.m
By: Philipp Hansen
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Young gamer hopes for 15,000 euros for a rare Zelda – gets 266,000 © DALL_E / nintendo;
The Legend of Zelda (montage)
One of the very first 'The Legend of Zelda' games for the NES paid almost $300,000.
But collectors speak of “market manipulation”.
Hamburg – Almost 40 years ago, Nintendo brought the very first The Legend of Zelda onto the market.
Today, a copy that was bought for around 30 euros fetched the crazy sum of 266,000 euros.
The lucky seller almost gave it away for a tenth of that.
Why is this specimen so valuable?
Player sells 30 euro game for almost 300,000 dollars – “Do you know what you have there?”
Fortune for Ancient Zelda:
An extraordinary find by a young gamer has amazed the world of video game collectors.
A still-sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) has been offered on eBay.
The seller “Kiro” was hoping for $15,000 to $20,000, he reveals.
A hefty price for a video game his family bought for $30 almost 40 years ago.
But he quickly withdrew the offer.
Within minutes of listing the item [Zelda for NES], several people contacted me and asked me if I knew what I was getting.
One offered to drive me over and give me $30,000 in cash.
Kiro, who auctioned off his old Zelda for $288,000.
The Zelda game then fetched a record-breaking $288,000 at a heritage auction - that's around 266,000 euros.
Seller Kiro confessed that “
nice people
” informed him that he was in possession of the rarest and most sought-after variant of the game – a genuine, sealed first edition.
Record sales of old video games
Although the amount achieved of $288,000 is already impressive, it does not represent the highest value ever paid for a video game.
The record is $2 million for an original copy of Super Mario Bros. on the NES.
By the way, another sealed copy of “The Legend of Zelda” was sold in 2021 for $870,000.
266,000 euros for an old video game?
That's why this Zelda copy is so valuable
Why is the €30 game so expensive?
It is a Zelda that belongs to the first batch ever produced in the West.
Even today, the 'Legend of Zelda' series is the Holy Grail for many video gamers - this game laid the foundation for it.
But stop, not every first edition is that valuable.
Gain value through grading?
The video game, which was originally released in the US in 1987, was sealed by a grading company.
In this way, the condition from back then is virtually preserved - the Zelda game for the NES would only be playable if you broke the tightly closed seal.
On X (Twitter) you can see the number 8.0 on the seal.
This shows the good condition of the now very rare video game, which still has the price tag of $29.87 on it:
“Market manipulation” – selling expensive Zelda games doesn’t appeal to everyone
This is how the sale was received by collectors:
The auction triggers mixed feelings.
Some criticize the inflated collector market, others show nostalgia or skepticism.
Discussions revolve around “market manipulation” and the subjective value of collectibles:
Some users commented that the sale was “
market manipulation
” or that “
the price was artificially inflated
.”
This refers to the ratings of grading companies that are not aimed at enthusiasts, but primarily at investors.
“This behavior actively harms the collector market
,” is the criticism.
Some collectors believe that an original Legend of Zelda in such certified condition could sell for $700,000.
"
I can't even imagine paying that much for something that will never be used for its intended purpose and will not be part of a museum
."
You shouldn't forget that the game is only worth so much unplayed with a secure grading seal.
Why so-called grading is becoming increasingly popular in Germany can also be seen in the popular Pokémon cards.
This article takes a closer look at the grading process:
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.