CGC Video Games Certifies First Production Castlevania with Dallas-Fort Worth Collection Pedigree

At the beginning of April 2024, the video game collecting community went wild over a sealed copy of Castlevania for the Nintendo Entertainment System (1987) that sold for over $90,000 on eBay. Now, the sealed classic NES game is proudly encapsulated in a CGC Video Games™ holder with a grade of CGC 9.4 A+ and pedigreed to the Dallas-Fort Worth Collection — the first pedigree to be established by CGC Video Games.

“The significance of finding a classic game such as Castlevania in such high quality cannot be understated,” said Kenneth Thrower, Director of Grading for CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. “On top of that, this is a sealed first production run of the game, which is beyond rare — in fact, there are only six sealed copies known as of April 2024.”

The first production copy of Castlevania was among hundreds of sealed and CIB classic titles found at an estate sale in the Dallas-Fort Worth area earlier this year. Many of the games from the estate sale are in impeccable condition, earning a CGC pedigree for the collection. Other games from the collection are currently at CGC for certification, and more information about the pedigree will be announced soon. For more information about pedigree collections, click here.

After the sale, the game’s new owner, Tom (@minus_worlds on Instagram), flew to CGC Video Games’ headquarters in Sarasota, Florida to have the game graded by our experts. The game’s original unpunched hangtab, excellent seal and fantastic box earned it a grade of CGC 9.4 A+, an impressive grade on the CGC Video Games Grading Scale.

“The CGC 9.4 A+ is a really special grade, and [Castlevania] is such a special game,” said Tom. “I think having that CGC Video Games pedigree label just brings it all together.”

To learn more about Castlevania, this example of the game and the Dallas-Fort Worth Collection, check out the video below.