Vintage games in good condition are worth a pretty penny these days, but you would be hard-pressed to find them just anywhere. Imagine Reddit user sausagenpeppers’s surprise when they discovered a sealed copy of Pokémon Blue Version in their closet.
According to their Reddit post, the game was part of a 1998 Christmas present for them and their sister. Two Pokémon Red Versions and one Blue Version were opened and used, while a single Blue Version was tucked away in a closet for decades. Upon closer inspection, sausagenpeppers’ unopened Pokémon Blue Version turned out to be a rare first run misprint copy, which features the text from Pokémon Red Version at the back of the box.
While the differences are minor, a sealed misprint copy can go for up to $126,000 USD among collectors depending on its condition. Considering sausagenpepper’s copy has been lying dormant in a closet for years, a quick dusting should return it to near-mint condition.
Unlike Japan, whose first editions were Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green (a Pocket Monsters Blue special edition was released afterwards), global markets started with Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Red (along with the Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition later on). According to an old Game Freak interview, the decision to use Blue and Red for the global versions was because the two colors are on the American flag.
Pokémon’s popularity amongst older fans has been showing a lot recently. A Pikachu statue that served as promotional material for the 1998 animated film Pokémon: The First Movie was found in a printing company storage room. Likewise, professional shogi player Manao Kagawa reveals that Pokémon’s “strategic back-and-forth” gameplay has driven many people in her circle to love the games. Despite being less than 30 years old, Pokémon has proven to be one of Nintendo’s long-appreciated IPs.
