Goldin lists 1998 Pokémon Red prototype with single $25,000 bid

Goldin Auctions is selling a development prototype of Pokémon Red for the Nintendo Game Boy, dated to the game's 1998 launch. As of today, the listing has received one bid at $25,000. The item was initially identified by the blog Retro Dodo, which labeled the artifact as incredibly rare.

Specialists at PSA authenticated the physical cartridge but could not read the full internal data. They successfully read the first 32KB of the contents, a result PSA described as technically unique. The company stated the readable data is completely identical to the U.S. retail version. PSA expressed confidence that the unreadable portion of the data also matches the standard release.

The authentication report noted two discrepancies in the ROM header data. Neither difference impacts the actual gameplay. PSA explained that the Mask ROM version field at offset 0x014C is incorrectly set to 55 instead of 00. This error changes the calculated header checksum at offset 0x014D, which reads CB rather than the expected 20.

The cartridge bears a sticker with the label DMB-MBC-16M-FLASH and part number DMG-(F)KGDB-01. The report suggests DMB refers to Dot Matrix Game, the original internal codename for the Game Boy. MBC likely stands for Memory Bank Controller, a chip that allowed games to exceed the system's standard 32KB ROM limit. The 16M designation indicates 16 megabits of flash-writable memory. Retro Dodo observed that the physical shell is longer than a standard Game Boy cartridge.

The auction listing calls the board previously undocumented, though the part number has appeared in other records. The Rare Gaming Dump wiki lists the same number for a 2000 development cartridge that used a similar 16-megabit Sharp flash chip. Close-up images in the Goldin listing show a design nearly identical to the wiki entry, although the wiki shows a sticker reading DMG-MBC3-16M-FLASH.

Pokémon Red, released alongside Green and Blue, helped establish the global franchise in the 1990s. Red and Blue combined are reported to have sold more than 31 million copies. Bidding remains open for several days, meaning the final price could rise above the current $25,000 figure. A reader comment on the original report claimed the specific unit is a master copy that powers on and plays normally, though those details have not been independently verified.