CGC Video Games Announces First Game Graded! The Legend of Zelda for NES

CGC Video Games® is pleased to present its first graded game: The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System! The popular title received a grade of CGC 9.4 A+ for its excellent quality and well-preserved seal. The game will be on view at ComplexCon, November 19-20 and will be offered in the January Video Games Signature® Auction on January 19-21, 2023.

Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda in February 1986, and the game became an instant classic, with gameplay, graphics and score praised by critics and players alike. As a commercial success, the game went on to spawn an entire series. The 20th installment of the franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, is set for release in 2023.

Video game collectors have long understood the importance of The Legend of Zelda. Almost no collection is complete without the iconic gold-colored cartridge, at least. Collectors also seek the collectible complete-in-box, both for its nostalgia and the addition of a small cutout on the front that highlights the unique color of the cartridge.

About the variant

The Legend of Zelda has several production variants. The first game graded is the Circle SoQ, Rev-A, NES-GP, NES P ZL variant.

Circle SOQ

Circle SoQ refers to the Nintendo Seal of Quality that appears on the front of the box. This Seal of Quality was the first used by Nintendo for its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Nintendo marketed the Seal of Quality as a guarantee to its customers that the product they were purchasing met the company’s design and production standards.

Rev-A

Rev-A is a notation Nintendo added to most of its NES boxes and cartridges after it switched from a five-screw cartridge to a three-screw cartridge. Short for Revision-A, this code is often found on the front of a box and on the back label of a cartridge.

NES-GP

NES-GP specifies that the box contains an NES cartridge. GP seems to be short for Game Pak, which Nintendo often called its cartridges at the time. Nintendo began including this notation on its NES boxes after it started producing the Game Boy, which was released in Japan and North America in 1989.

NES P ZL

NES P ZL is Nintendo’s product code for The Legend of Zelda. The addition of a product code to differentiate each game likely became necessary as Nintendo published and licensed more and more games for the NES.

"Any copy of The Legend of Zelda is sought out by collectors, but this variant is one of the most desirable," commented Matt McClellan, CGC Video Games Senior Grading Finalizer. "The 9.4 A+ grade also means that it is in exceptional condition, which is difficult to find for any copy of The Legend of Zelda!"

CGC Video Games, the latest division of Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) began accepting video game submissions in October 2022. The company provides state-of-the-art authentication, grading and encapsulation services for video games across various consoles and generations, including Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, Atari and more. CGC Video Games certification helps ensure that culturally and historically important games like The Legend of Zelda will survive for posterity. To learn more about CGC Video Games, click here.