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first_print_mint

@first_print_mint

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The future is in the past.
Curating firsts and seeking what time forgot to take.
*Mono no aware*

POSTS STORIES REELS

Pocket Monsters AKA [Red] First Print Demonstration Sample ポケットモンスター赤予約注文用製品デモサンプル 1996.

The first Pokemon product ever made, the pinnacle Pokemon video game collectible. It all begins here in this time-stamped Game Boy box, the very product that launched the biggest IP in human history.

The winter of 1995. The first production of Pocket Monsters AKA [Red]. Part of the initial factory order of 130,000 units, this not-for-sale Demonstration Sample was sent to shops before the February 27, 1996 retail release to promote and hype a then-unknown Game Freak curiosity. It is among the first handful of AKA to ever appear outside Nintendo's Uji City factory in Japan.

Quite a story it is. This AKA beat the release of the Cardass Charizard and TCG to market by more than half a year. Pocket Monsters AKA predates the Glossy and Charizard cards by 7+ months. And Pocket Monsters AKA was released 2 years and 7 months - 31 months! - before Pokemon Red Version would hit North America, a game based as much on AO [Blue in Japan] as AKA and Midori [Green].

The contents of this AKA are specific to the initial production. Untouched, flawless survey card limited to the first 30 days. Cartridge label code 22 with factory dates of late 1995 or early 1996. Glossy manual with unrevised code to denote first print. Unopened map. Link cable guide and Super Game Boy ad, pristine.

I've had this for almost a decade. None of the contents have been swapped out or in, nor have the cartridge, manual or inserts been pressed, professionally prepared or cleaned. Cart appears new, its pins, casing and label shine. A genuine time machine that definitively and incontrovertibly marks the beginning of everything Pokemon.

Rarity. 1:1.

VGA 85+. I have seen just one other Demo Sample box in all my years, owned by @gengamuseum.

For interest, the Unified sub grades are Cart 9.6, Manual 9.4, Box 9.4. VGA does not grade the other inserts.

#pokemon #sealedgames #pokemontcg #nintendo #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Shark! Shark! 1982.

Every bite makes you bigger, but every snack makes you slower. The conundrum of Shark! Shark! for the Intellivision. The peril is in the title, meant to read as a scream.

Shark! Shark! hit stores in 1982 with an initial production run of 4000 or so copies, one of Mattel's shortest shipments on record. Compare it to say, Star Strike, which would ship 800,000 on release, and we have quite a tale of cardboard endurance.

The game comes from the imagination of Ji-Wen Tsao, one of the first known female programmers in video games. A Canadian computer science student who went to work in California for the mighty Mattel, Tsao adapted the Chinese proverb 'big fish eat little fish' and the popularity of Jaws into a literal aquarium of survival. Despite Mattel's reservation it was overly simple, the reviewers would rave. Tsao received a few cents for every cartridge sold, a small royalty for a craft well done.

This hit all the notes for a kid who loved sharks, who loved to watch my brothers steer clear of the big teeth. I'd need to wait until NES Jaws for my turn...

Rarity. VGA 85+, Pop 1 at VGA. Sub grades, 85+ box, 90 seal. Just 2 on the PSA census.

#intellivision #sealedgames #videogames #mattelelectronics #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Takara Micro Change MC-04, タカラマイクロチェンジ 1983.

Origin stories are important. In 1983, a tiny Volkswagen Beetle sat on a toy shelf for the first time, the Micro Change MC-04 "Mini Car Robo." Little did Japanese parents know in '83 that the metal die-cast VW robot would become famous. Built for small hands and quick joy, Takara's MC-04 would become G1 Bumblebee a year later.

In 2025, I visited the World Expo in Osaka. Inside Japan's host pavilion, the 'Factory Area' highlighted Japanese manufacturing, how even toys are built around ideas of 'transformation, durability and multi-use.' Diaclone and Micro Change were radically inventive, a step away from static. Bumblebee and the Transformers a marvel in toy design.

Japan's share of global pop culture is remarkable, how much of our collective experience we owe to its ingenuity and curiosity. Takara's Transformers, yet another feat.

Rarity. VGA 80+ Q. Second production of MC-04, one of only 2 on the AFA pop report.

#transformers #takara #autobots #toys #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Ice Climber アイスクライマー 1985.

Ice Climber is a snapshot of Nintendo R&D1 at a formative time in 1984. Working alongside Miyamoto and Famicom architect Masayuki Uemura, rookie coder Kazuaki Morita flashed a gift for programming across the platformer's 32 'mountain ledges' and two-player action.

Morita would become a company cornerstone, coding Super Mario Bros and tucking the Hammer Bros in as a wink to Ice Climber's Popo and Nana. He also continues to serve as program director for the Legend of Zelda series, a role he's held from 8-bit to Switch.

Ice Climber is also famous for having Popo and Nana club friendly blue 'Topi' seals, a gameplay feature only found on Famicom. Overseas, the sprite became a 'Nyokki,' which looks like a stubby yeti. The original release code was altered to make the game more family friendly for the later black box localization.

Popo and Nana would crest Icicle Mountain and grow up as fixtures of Smash Bros, wistfully outgrowing their icy peak habitat.

Rarity. VGA 85+. Pop 1. First print, no FF, no barcode 1:1.

#famicom #familycomputer #nintendo #sealedgames #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Major League Baseball. 1979.

The warm fuzz of Intellivision brings me right back. Though it was not my system of youth, it was the first we had and where my fascination with video games began. And Major League Baseball a formative part, a cartridge worn out on a Crescent street in 1980-something.

This is a 1:1 first print, and the end of my 19-year chase to land it. It carries the "Color T.V. Viewing Only" text, a marking that appeared on just 8 of the first 15 Intellivision games ever released, part of a thin production window that makes this special. The most popular Intellivison game of all, with sales that broke a million.

Almost half a century old. In 2029, Major League Baseball will hit 50. The high hopes and dreams of the mighty Mattel Electronics and their Blue Sky Rangers once rested on the success of this very box.

Rarity. VGA 80. Pop 1.

#mattelelectronics #intellivision #sealedgames
#nes #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Super Mario Bros 3. 1990.

Playground whispers of a mythical Super Mario sequel. Cousins abroad with tall tales of 'Big World,' warp whistles and flying Koopa ships. I didn't believe a word of it. Besides, I was having the time of my life with SMB2.

In Japan, Super Mario Bros 3 left the Uji factory in 1988. Fifteen months and a turn of the decade later, the rest of the world would experience Nintendo's faithful sequel. A literal lifetime in those formative, no-net years.

How impactful is SMB3? Nintendo continues to re-release new versions and iterations of the premise. Left Bros is famous, the first NTSC print for purchase before Nintendo switched sides. For new collectors, it's become the gateway to print runs and release dates.

Rarity. VGA 90+, pop top. The finest SMB3L VGA has ever graded. Sub grades are Box 95, Cart 90+, Manual 90. Unified equivalents, Box 9.8, Cart 9.7, Manual 9.6.

Crinkled cello kept it crisp, tucked away and untouched for almost forty years.

#nintendo #nes #sealedgames #supermariobros3 #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Demon Castle Dracula: Apocalypse 悪魔城ドラキュラ黙示録1999

Konami teased ‘Dracula 3D’ at the April 1997 Tokyo Game Show and again in 1998 with playable levels and characters. Ambition though has its costs, and 3D wouldn’t release until 1999. Going from 16 to 64 wasn’t easy, and some companies managed better than others. Even the mighty Konami would show the strain.

Castlevania 64 is an interesting study. On release, met with enormous critical acclaim and bonafide industry kudos. EGM scored it 9-9-8-9, GamePro hailed it 4.5/5, while IGN and GameSpot both went 8.2/10. Time can be unkind, and the sensory delight of Demon Castle Dracula began to wane as developers learned to harness the hardware.

For me though, a leap forward in moody atmosphere and character pathing. An essential step for CV and the continuation of the lore we love.

Rarity. VGA 90, pop top and one of just 5 on the VGA report. The gold gloss of the Japan print is tough for condition.

#konami #castlevania #sealedgames #nintendo64 #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Bionic Commando, 1992.

Tokuro Fujiwara's career is likely matched by just one, none other than Shigeru Miyamoto. From Ghost 'N Goblins to Rock Man, DuckTales to Tomba!, Sweet Home to Resident Evil...his is a wildly prolific contribution to pop culture and the gaming experience.

For me, Bionic means a little more than the others. Famous for the grappling hook mechanic, Fujiwara actually lifted 'wire action' from his earlier from-scratch creation Roc' N Rope, the first game he ever designed and developed. While Roc' N Rope deserves its own post, Bionic Commando built on his key premise that a jump button was unnecessary.

You're having a good day if you find a pre-retail, development version of any game. This Bionic proto marks the precise transition between the Famicom's Top Secret and the NES localization. The game's code differs from retail, does not match any version on the internet. The 'Badds' are called 'Nazz,' one of the many unique playable elements. Interestingly, the NTSC manual refers to the 'Nazz' army in error, reflecting this unique build.

Rarity: 1:1 proto development cartridge. VGA 90, only one higher on the pop.

#bioniccommando #sealedgames #capcom #nes #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Super Mario Advance スーパーマリオアドバンス：スーパーマリオUSA 2001

Once more, a return to Subcon. And this time, the game Nintendo chose to launch the mighty Game Boy Advance in Japan.

SMB 2 being asked to capture hearts is no surprise to me, as my favorite of ever and all. It was curious though for some to have Super Mario USA headline a key console. Any doubt would vanish with the opening credits, character voices, ace coins, boss sprites, and splashing landscapes. Fresh!

Holding a launch-day Advance in my hands, watching Subcon bloom, playing anew…doki, doki indeed, such a memory. Nintendo must return to the Land of Dreams.

Rarity. VGA 90, pop top. One of 8 first prints on the report. The game that launched the GBA, the first.

#supermariobros2 #nintendo #gameboyadvance #sealedgames #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Castlevania Legends / Akumajō Dracula: Dark Night Prelude 悪魔城ドラキュラ闇夜の序曲 1997. The story of Sonia Belmont, the in-canon and out-of-canon tale of the first meeting with the Lord of Darkness. Inspired by my friend @retrovaniacollector 's most recent pop-top gem, Dark Night Prelude is the 1997 first print, 4 months ahead of the 1998 North America release.

CV wades a little darker in Japan, richer in religious imagery, dialogue and gothic design than the overseas versions. Dark Night Prelude features a moving title screen which remains true to this demonic bent.

An essential and rare CV entry. And the one instance I disagree with producer Koji Igarashi's shape of the series. To CV canon it should and does belong, the Sonia-Alucard relationship worthwhile. Apologies to Leon.

Quite something how Nintendo supported the Game Boy with new games for an incredible 12 years, '89 to '01.

Rarity. VGA 90+. Pop top, and one of only 4 on the census.

#konami #castlevania #gameboy #sealedgames #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Gunstar Heroes ガンスターヒーローズ 1993.

Quit the sequel and start anew, what a story. Treasure founder Masato Maegawa explains "...basically, Konami is a huge company, so you can't create games freely. Konami's big titles are Turtles, Castlevania, Contra and I just couldn't stand making more sequels, but in order to drive sales sequels must always be made. When I presented my idea of Gunstar Heroes, they said 'No, it will not sell." You see, they want only the sure thing."

Konami was wrong. In 1992, Maegawa and several of Konami's brightest left to form Treasure around the notion that players wanted original games and IP. Gunstar Heroes became a fan and game critic hit, and is now part of the 'best video game of all time' conversation. Gunstar is not for the faint of heart, a rollicking sprawl of mash, bash and crash. You feel relief and elation when end credits finally roll. I consider it an uncredited Contra sequel, what could have been.

The joy of collecting video games is the lore that comes with it. Every game has a story, and those stories always start in Japan. Leaving the corporate comfort of Konami could not have been easy. Treasure would go on to create Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, Wario World, and Sin and Punishment. Mighty contribution from a small studio of 30 people.

Per Maegawa himself, Treasure would sell 70,000 in Japan and 200,000+ in North America.

VGA 90+. Pop 1, first print 1:1. I graded this Gunstar in the spring of 2015.

#megadrive #segagenesis #sealedgames #sega #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint

Double Dragon PlayChoice-10 Board. 1988.

I played Double Dragon for the first time on a PlayChoice-10 cabinet at Chuck E Cheese, an 8-bit dream to go right along with the Pizza Time Players on the Balcony Stage.

Though it wasn’t the two-player arcade extravaganza, Kishimoto’s savvy design made it unique and personal. The stakes felt higher without a buddy to mash bad with, and riddling it with Yamane’s iconic score cranked everything up.

The Technos Japan board makes for a crisper display than the cartridge is capable of, and an added expansion ROM runs tips across dual-screen PC cabinets.

Brings me right back to the start, the RGB glow. Not a scratch in 38 years, sealed in time.

Rarity. 1:1. VGA 90.

#doubledragon #nintendo #sealedgames #playchoice10 #firstprintmint by @first_print_mint