CGC Video Games Certifies Six Test Cartridges for The Legend of Zelda

CGC Video Games™ is excited to share that it has certified some of the rarest cartridges for the Nintendo Entertainment System: not one, not two but six test cartridges for The Legend of Zelda!

All of the submitted Zelda cartridges are in fantastic condition, but two came to the grading room still in their Nintendo-branded dust sleeves and Zelda-specific window bags, each featuring their own unique part numbers. Upon closer examination, these two cartridges showed no signs of use or wear and tear. Their exemplary condition earned them each a grade of CGC 9.6.

The history of these Zelda test cartridges is intertwined with Nintendo’s console repair program of the early 1990s: the World Class Service program. Read on to learn more, or check out the video below.

What was Nintendo’s World Class Service program?

From 1990 to 2005, Nintendo partnered with World of Nintendo retailers across the United States to provide on-site diagnostics and repair services for Nintendo-branded consoles. This service was called the World Class Service program. Participating service centers received various pieces of hardware from Nintendo to identify mechanical issues in consoles, including the short-lived NES Test Station and more commonly used test cartridges.

The NES test cartridges used by the World Class Service program were able to perform certain diagnostic tests on customers’ NES consoles, controllers and other peripherals. Examples of these cartridges include the NTF2 Test Cartridge, the Joystick Test Cartridge and more. Most of these cartridges are easily identified by their yellow shell (though some were produced with the standard gray shell) and “EPROM” markings and stickers.

The Legend of Zelda Test Cartridges

While The Legend of Zelda test cartridges feature the same yellow shell described above, they are programmed much differently than the other test cartridges. Instead of being programmed to test a specific function of the NES console, the Legend of Zelda test cartridges instead have the full game programmed into them. Additionally, the cartridge features the standard label used on retail versions of The Legend of Zelda, complete with the revised Nintendo Seal of Quality. (For more information on Nintendo’s Seal of Quality variants, go to the CGC Video Games NES CIB Guide.)

Nintendo likely produced these Legend of Zelda test cartridges to test the innovative battery-save function introduced in the game. While rumors once circulated that they were haphazardly produced by World Class Service technicians, CGC Video Games was able to confirm their authenticity and first-party production by Nintendo. By checking the production dates present on the test cartridges’ boards and part numbers, the Zelda test cartridges can be compared to other Nintendo-produced test cartridges and show identical values.

Submit to CGC Video Games today!

Do you have an interesting piece of video game history, like these Zelda test cartridges? Consider sending them to CGC Video Games for expert authentication, grading and encapsulation! For more information on what CGC Video Games grades, go here. Submit today by visiting CGCgrading.com, and be sure to follow us on social media @cgcvideogames.