Unopened copy of NES classic Legend of Zelda sells for $870,000 at an auction

The sale broke the world record and became the most expensive game cartridge sold to date

An unopened cartridge of the NES classic The Legend of Zelda dating back to 1987 has now been sold at an auction for $870,000. An anonymous bidder won the cartridge after Heritage Auctions started the bids at $100,000.

According to Heritage, the cartridge was a rare variant of the original run called "Rev-A" and was produced for only few months in 1987 before being replaced on store shelves with another variant called "Rev-B".  The cartridge auctioned off was part of Nintendo's "NES R" run and was preceded by only one other variant called "NES TM" which was the first ever production run for the title.

Heritage also believes that a copy of the elusive "NES TM" exists but it may never be brought to market, making this cartridge the only one of its kind and the earliest production copy of the game that anyone can get their hands on.

"The Legend of Zelda marks the beginning of one of the most important sagas in gaming; its historical significance can't be understated," Heritage Auctions Video Games Director Valarie McLeckie said. "This is the only copy from this production run we've ever offered in sealed condition, and may very well be the only one we ever offer in this elite level of preservation for many years. Its rarity is superior to that of any sealed game we've offered to date, it is a true collector's piece."

What makes this even more sought after is that the Legend of Zelda continues to go strong to this day. The sequel to the latest in the franchise "Breath of the Wild" was recently shown off at Nintendo's E3 direct.