How much is an NES cartridge worth?
A Nintendo Entertainment System cart is the gray shell, the label, and the board inside. Sports titles are common. A missing label is damage. Test it if you can.
NES cartridges are the gray (and a few different) plastic shells Nintendo and its licensees sold for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The valuable distinction in a thrift bin is the title and the condition of the label, not the fact that the shell is gray. A huge share of the surviving carts are common sports and platform games that were produced in enormous numbers. A cart with a torn label, a name written in marker, or a shell that rattles is a worse copy of whatever title it is.
The board inside can matter for a few titles and for reproductions. A reproduction is a copied board in a donor shell, and it is not an original cart. The usual tells are the label print, the screws, and the board if you open it. Opening a cart is easy and it is also a way to lose the screws. If you are not going to look at the board, do not claim the board. Say it is untested if you could not plug it in. The video-game guide in the journal covers systems more broadly.
What to look for
- The label
- Title, Nintendo seal, and a code. A faded, ripped, or marker-written label is condition. A blurry, off-center, or oddly glossy label is a reason to suspect a reproduction. Compare with a known label before you accuse or before you pay a rare-title price.
- The shell
- Five-screw and three-screw shells both exist and correspond loosely to era. Cracks, a missing shutter on the bottom, and yellowed plastic are condition. The shutter should move. A cart that will not go into a console safely is a parts cart.
- The pins
- Look at the connector. Heavy corrosion and bent pins mean a cart that may not boot. A little dullness is common. Do not scrape pins with a knife. Isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab is the usual careful clean, and even then you disclose that you cleaned it.
- The title itself
- Read the name. A common sports cart is a common sports cart even in a decent label. Do not buy a stack at a “rare Nintendo” price because one cart in the stack might be good. Read all of them.
What moves the price
- Title
- This is most of the price. Sold comps are by title, then by label and shell condition, then by whether it is tested. A common title in mint condition is still a common title. It may be worth more than a wreck of the same title. It is not a rare title.
- Tested or not
- Untested is a discount because the buyer is taking the boot risk. Tested, with a note of what you saw on screen, is the better listing. “Powers on” is not the same as “saves and plays,” and most NES carts have no save.
- Reproduction
- A repo is worth whatever someone will pay for a copy, which is not the original’s comp. If you know it is a repo, say repo. If you suspect it, do not use the original’s sold prices.
- Complete in box
- Box, cart, manual, and inserts are a different product from a loose cart. The box is often worth more than the common cart, and it is also where people fake. The collectibles guide on complete-in-box is the standard. Do not invent a box you do not have.
Where to sell
- eBay
- Title plus tested or untested, photos of the label and the pins. Read the fee. A common cart under a few dollars after the fee is not worth an individual listing. Lot those.
- Local and game shops
- Shops pay a reseller number on common carts and more attention on uncommon titles. Know the title before you accept a blanket price for a bag.
- Play it
- A clean common game you will play is a good buy. The flip math on a sports cart is usually the bad buy. The journal says this in more words because people keep learning it on the way home.
What a photo can settle
Front label straight on, back label, the pin edge, and the shell screws. If you opened it, a photo of the board. Worth can read the title from a clear label. It cannot promise the cart boots, and it cannot see a reproduction board through the plastic.
Questions
- Are all gray Nintendo carts worth money?
- No. The shell is the format. The title is the market. Common games in average shape are common. Uncommon titles and complete boxed copies are the ones that justify a careful comp.
- What is a five-screw cart?
- The back of the shell is held by five screws on earlier production and three on later. It is a clue to when that copy was made. It is not, by itself, a rare variant. Show the screws and let the title carry the listing.
- How do I spot a reproduction?
- Label quality, screw style, and the board compared with a documented original. A price that is far under the real title’s market, from a seller who will not show the board, is a reason to walk, not a reason to “get a deal.”