A rare prototype cartridge of Pokémon Red was sold for USD 101,000 at auction. The final price rose to USD 123,220 after buyer’s fees, according to auction house Goldin. The sale closed on October 25 after the cartridge drew 20 bids. It opened at USD 25,000, and the final hammer price was more than four times that amount.
The cartridge features a transparent shell, exposed circuitry and a handwritten 'Red P' label. These details separate it from the mass-produced copies that millions of players bought in the late 1990s. The item is not a regular retail copy of the 1998 Game Boy game. It is a development cartridge linked to the creation of Pokémon Red, one of the most influential titles in Nintendo’s history.
Goldin described the cartridge as previously undocumented. PSA authenticated the item before the auction, adding to its appeal among serious collectors. Prototype cartridges rarely reach the open market. They usually remain with developers, publishers or private collectors, which makes verified examples especially attractive at auction.
The cartridge’s first 32KB of readable data reportedly matches the final United States release of Pokémon Red. Differences appear mainly in header information rather than in the game’s playable content. Pokémon Red was launched in 1998 in North America alongside Pokémon Blue. The games introduced a generation of players to the series and became cultural landmarks for Nintendo’s Game Boy.
The sale reflects the growing demand for rare video-game artifacts. Collectors now compete for prototypes, sealed games, early development materials and items tied to landmark releases.
The latest sale shows that Pokémon memorabilia still commands serious money. For collectors, the cartridge is more than an old Game Boy game; it is a tangible link to the early development of a global franchise.
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