The classic video game market has a few titles that are worth a lot of money, and collectors all over the world dream about stumbling upon one in the wild. The dream has come true for a gaming store in Seattle, where an incredibly rare and expensive Nintendo Entertainment System game was traded-in.
One of the most expensive video game cartridges of all time is the Nintendo World Championships 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The grey version of these cartridges were given as prizes to the finalists of the event of the same, while a gold version was given to people who won a contest held by Nintendo Power. The cartridges are incredibly rare and are valued for their connection to the history of video gaming, with each one easily bringing in between ten to fifteen thousand dollars, depending on the condition.
A copy of the grey Nintendo World Championship 1990 cartridge was traded-in as part of a box of games to the Pink Gorilla Games store in Seattle. The owner posted a picture of the cartridge on Twitter.
It didn't take long for the cartridge to be sold, as the owner put up a second post confirming that it had been purchased by a private buyer. He confirmed in the comments that the cartridge sold for thirteen thousand dollars.
There are lots of reasons why video games can appreciate in value. There are some games that only had a limited print run or were canceled after production began and a few copies managed to make their way into the wild. There are some games that only have a limited amount of copies in the world, such as the incredibly rare European version of Kizuna Encounter for the Sega Saturn. The Nintendo World Championship 1990 cartridges have it all - they were specially made in limited quantities, they are connected to a famous moment in gaming history, and it's easy to verify their legitimacy based on the other copies in the hands of collectors. The idea that there are still some out there in the world means that collectors shouldn't give up the hunt for the other gold and grey cartridges.