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A while back we made an SNES Rarity & Price Guide. We’ve decided to give the same treatment to the original Nintendo with this new NES Price Guide. As the years pass by those NES games that we have (or covet) become more and more expensive.

While most vintage video games might have come down in prices in recent years, the most popular and rare NES games still make people open up their wallets. Most likely you’ll recognize a lot of the games that we’ve included in our NES Price Guide, but hopefully there are a couple of obscure titles that you haven’t heard of before.

For our NES Rarity and Price Guide we based most prices on the data listed on NintendoAge gathered from the sale histories from Ebay and Amazon. NES Rarity rankings are also courtesy of the NintendoAge online video game price guide.

Rare NES Games

Stadium Events 

?Rarity: 9

By now you know the deal with this one. This game was originally released in 1987 by Bandai, but in 1988 Nintendo bought the rights and re-released it as World Class Track Meet. Be sure to note that this is the NTSC (North America) version and not PAL (Europe). If you’re not sure which one you have to check the seal. If the Nintendo seal is round and transparent, you’re in the money. If it’s oval and white, not so much.

Price: $7500 (Loose) 

Buy the PAL version on ebay

Buy the NSTC version on ebay | amazon

Find out what is happening with Stadium Events in 2016 here.

6 in 1 Myriad

Rarity: 10

This unlicensed game released in 1992 and it is so rare that there is zero data that we found when researching to determine its cost. These are similar to the 6 in 1 Caltron games which are also rare but available.

Price: ??? (if you have to ask…)

Buy on ebay

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Tournament Fighters

Rarity: 8

Four years ago a new copy sold for USD1,300. While you won’t get that kind of money anymore these copies still fetch a good price even for a loose copy.

Price: USD120.83 (Loose), USD529.99 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Little Samson

Rarity: 8

A new copy sold for USD12,000 a few years back. Despite being renowned for it’s great graphics, controls, and sound, Samson was still considered a flop in its day. Today this NES gem will put you back financially if you want to add it to your collection.

Price: USD875 (Loose), USD2,750 (New)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Duck Tales 2

Rarity: 7

I think everyone has played the first DuckTales but somehow the sequel got lost in the shuffle. This is most likely due to its release coming after the SNES began to pick up steam.

Price: USD154 (Loose), USD373.50 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Gun Nac

Rarity: 7

Time does not seem to hurt the value for this game. Since 2008 prices for all copies (loose, complete, and new) have all steadily increased for the most part.

Price: USD144.97 (Loose), USD274.99 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Bonk’s Adventure

Rarity: 8

A factory sealed version sold for USD2,799 earlier this year. This game was one of the major titles for the TurboGrafx 16, but the game’s makers decided to port it over to the NES in the hopes that more people would play it. Probably a good decision.

Price: USD356 (Loose), USD920 (New)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Panic Restaurant

Rarity: 8

This is one of the final licensed Nintendo games ever released. Limited copies were made when it hit North American shores in 1994 as most people had moved on to the next console generation.

Price: USD356 (Loose), USD821 (Complete)

Buy on eBay

Wayne’s World

Not a great quality game, but since it was made as Nintendo was transitioning to the SNES there were few copies of this title made. Plus, the SNES version of this game released a few months prior to the NES version.

Rarity: 7

Price: USD118.51 (Loose), USD341 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Ultimate League Soccer

Rarity: 8

Prices have gone down in the past couple of years for a CIB, but prices for a new unopened copy have held steady.

Price: USD39.99 (Complete), USD104.94 (New)

Buy on eBay

Sqoon

Rarity: 8

Quirky title and a tough find for a complete or new version. The rarity for this game is if you can find a complete package. Loose titles are fairly easy to come by for around USD50.

Price: USD152.50 (Complete), USD785 (New)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Bubble Bobble Part 2

Rarity: 7

A loose cartridge just sold for USD355! A perennial chart topper when it comes to high priced sales this sequel came out near the end of the lifespan of the NES and fell through the cracks. BB2remains popular for those old enough to remember the Bubble Bobble Arcade machines.

Price: USD295 (Loose), USD707.68 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Power Blade 2

Rarity: 8

This joins the list of sequels that never got much attention at the time of their release. The content is nostalgic for the beat-em-up genre that was popular in video games and films of the time.

Price: USD324.99 (Loose), USD1,600 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Cowboy Kid

Rarity: 8

Whether it’s just the cartridge or if it includes the box as well, this is a great title to have if you can find it.

Price: USD134.50 (Loose), USD255.01 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Snow Brothers

Rarity: 7

Not super rare but it is uncommon and popular enough that the prices for this title are consistently high. In March of 2015 a complete-in-box listing sold for USD3,000. According to the NintendoAge NES price guide loose copies are bringing in at least $200.

Prices: USD206.00 (Loose), USD635.09 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Competition and Limited Edition

Nintendo World Championships (Gray and Gold)

Rarity: 10

Don’t bother looking for a box and manual. This was a cartridge produced solely for competition. At its highest cost this game sold in February 2014 for $20,400. Prices have dropped significantly but you can still expect to spend five figures. Gold cartridges will garner at least twice the amount as the gray. Where there were 90 gray cartridges produced there were only 26 gold made.

Price: USD11,300 (Gray), ??? (Gold)

Buy Grey Version on eBay

Nintendo Campus Challenge

Rarity: 10

In the 90’s Nintendo held competitions on college campuses. Afterward all copies were destroyed – except for one. A Nintendo employee kept their copy and nearly 20 years later sold it at a garage sale. After switching hands a couple of times the cartridge eventually sold for USD20,100. It may be the only copy in existence.

Price: If there is only one copy who’s to say what it’s worth. The right buyer could inflate this price tag to even higher historic levels.

Buy on eBay

High Priced Games Due to Popularity Instead of Rarity

Super Mario Bros

The holy grail of home console video games is still as popular as ever, but its peak probably came in November of 2014 when a new and unsealed copy sold for USD3,200. There are still some listings that are asking upwards of that highmark, but two factory sealed copies sold already in 2016 for USD365 and USD785.

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Legend of Zelda

If we mention Mario, we have to mention Zelda. Factory sealed prices for this one are all over the place. In the past year sealed copies have sold for as high as USD1,147.22, and as low as USD199.99. If you have to have it new look to spend a few hundred to a few thousand with the current listings.

Buy on eBay | Amazon

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!

For one of the most popular and controversial figures in sports, the game that grace’s his name still packs a punch to the wallet.  Loose copies are still bringing in almost half of what they cost when they were first released. While the game sold well initially, after his legal troubles Nintendo pulled the game and re-released it as just Punch-Out!!, dropping Tyson’s name.

Price: USD27.45 (Loose), USD549.99 (New)

Buy it on eBay | Amazon

The Flintstones – The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak

Rarity: 9

Not a particularly great game, this title’s value is strictly due to its extreme rarity. There is dispute whether this game was distributed like most other titles, or if instead it was a Blockbuster exclusive (this is not confirmed though). Either way it’s a tough one to get your hands on.

Price: USD648.85 (Loose), USD1,876 (Complete)

Buy on eBay | Amazon

FAMICOM

Mah Jong

Rarity: 10

Only 8 copies are known to exist making this one of the most rarest games for the NES.

Price: ???

PAL

Rodland

These two PAL releases (Italian and Spanish) are rare finds for both loose and complete versions.

Price: USD197.73 (Loose), USD540-798 (Complete)

Buy on eBay

Rare Box and Manual

Pro Sport Hockey

Rarity: 9

I guess no one hung on to these boxes. NintendoAge has a new, sealed copy valued at $6,000. I’m not sure what their source is but CIB listings have sold for USD150 – USD250 in the past four years.

Price: USD61.00 (Loose), USD145 (Complete)

Buy on eBay

Donkey Kong Jr Math

Rarity: 9

The cartridge by itself is valuable but the box is what makes this a great pick up. A complete-in-box auction just brought in USD1,425 in January of this year, and three months before that the same item fetched USD2,999.99.

Price: USD56.55 (Loose), USD1,425.00 (Complete).

Buy on eBay

Chubby Cherub

Rarity: 9

Cartridges still draw in a good price but the box and manual is where the money is. A complete-in-box listing (with manual) sold for USD599.00 two years ago.

Price: USD54 (Loose), USD599 (Complete)

There are currently no listings for this game complete or new. Check back here.

Bandit Kings of Ancient China

Rarity: 7

This is one where the box is harder to find than the game. Not particularly popular, past or present.

Price: USD73 (Loose) USD132 (Complete)

Buy on eBay

Color a Dinosaur

Rarity: 9

Super rare find. The manual is easier to find than the box, which is strange because the manual was a coloring book. In 2013 a sealed version sold for USD458, and in January of this year a complete listing sold for USD335.

Price: USD69.98 (Loose), USD335 (Complete)

Buy on eBay (with manual only)

Best of the Best Championship Karate

Rarity: 9

A factory sealed listing sold for USD25,000 back in the summer of 2012. There have not been any complete in box listings sold for over a year.

Price: USD40 (Loose)

Buy on eBay (PAL version)