4 rare pieces of Nintendo history you'll never own

The one company in the video game industry with an unprecedented history is Nintendo. The company, which once started as a small hanafuda playing card maker in 1889, has stood as a foundational pillar of the industry for many years. Many people, young and old, know the name Nintendo even if they've never played a video game before. However, those who grew up playing games at a very early age know of the many releases from Nintendo that impacted pop culture. Throughout the decades, different home consoles and iconic video game series have been tied to the company, and they have helped inspire generations of game designers and bring joy to many gaming fans.

From the time Nintendo released the NES to now, there have been collectibles that have become incredibly rare and are tied to Nintendo's fabled history. These are incredibly valuable items that are prohibitively hard to obtain. Chances are, you won't even get to own one of these items because of how unique and valuable they've become over time. Here are four rare pieces of Nintendo history that you will never own, but you can admire how important they are to everyone's favorite game company.

4 1992 Nintendo World Championships Gold Cartridge

A super rare NES game with history

To many collectors of NES games, the 1992 Nintendo World Championships cartridge is one of the rarest games around. There were only a set number of cartridges produced for the event in the early 90s, but that wasn't the only one made. As part of a promotion through Nintendo Power magazine, a gold cartridge version of Nintendo World Championships was given away to a lucky few. The games within the cartridge are a combination of NES titles that were used for the competition, in which players would have to get the highest score within certain parameters. Many gaming historians consider this event to be one of the first esports events hosted by a major company.

For collectors, this is considered a "holy grail" item because of how unique and limited the cartridge is. This isn't something you can find casually posted online for auction or put on display at a local game store. This is a serious part of Nintendo history, and one that people are quick to take notice of.

3 E3 1997 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Link Statue

A Miyamoto-inspired statue

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, was one of the biggest events in the video game industry. It was a time when all the major companies would get together to showcase their upcoming games and newest products to investors and various businesses. Over the years, the event became more mainstream in the same way that San Diego Comic Con and Gamescom had become. But back in 1997, the show was still growing and featured major companies showcasing new games that would eventually go on to become iconic.

For Nintendo, one of those games was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64. To promote the game during the show, a collection of statues was made to put on display and sold to attendees, which rendered the older version of Link. Unfortunately, the statue was criticized by some because of its goofy look and uncharacteristic pose, which was inspired by the look of Zelda creator Shigenru Miyamoto. A total of 300 statues were produced for the event, making this a very valuable collectible for any Zelda enthusiast. But don't count on finding one easily, because these statues can call for prices as high as $8,000 in some cases, and possibly higher. This is one Zelda collectible tied to Nintendo history that very few will ever get to see in person.

2 The Nintendo PlayStation console

A console that never was

One of the rarest console prototypes ever produced was an unexpected collaboration between two companies. Unfortunately, events would take place to prevent this console from ever being released on the market. The Nintendo PlayStation is one of those great "what-if" stories that could have led to a very different landscape for the games' industry. At one point, Nintendo was going to work with Sony to create a CD add-on for the Super Nintendo, and a hybrid system that would play both cartridges and CD-ROMs. This would have led to a joint venture that would have fundamentally shifted an already changing industry that was about to be impacted by CD formats for media. For a long time, many people believed that a full prototype of the Nintendo PlayStation was just a myth, until it was revealed to be real and sold at an auction decades later.

Despite the concept being so interesting, a disagreement about which company would have control over the licensing of CD format versions of games ended up creating a rift between Nintendo and Sony. This would lead to the infamous Consumer Electronics Show in 1991, where Sony announced a partnership with Nintendo, only to see Nintendo announce one with Phillips the very next day. The incident would cause the two companies to split, and the prototype console to be shelved. This eventually paved the way for Sony to release their own console in 1994, the original PlayStation. This marks a darker point in Nintendo's history because the incident ended up creating one of the biggest competitors to the company in the years that followed.

1 Nintendo Campus Challenge Game Cartridge

Competition on campus

Back in the early 90s, another video game competition related to Nintendo took place that was different from the Nintendo World Championships. On a tour to around 60 college campuses, Nintendo sponsored a competition that took place in 1991 and 1992. This was the Nintendo Campus Challenge, where competitors would play quick versions of Super Mario Bros. 3, Pin-bot, and Dr. Mario for prizes. The winners at each campus were flown out to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which hosted the finals of the event. The grand prize winner would walk away with a $10,000 cash prize, with the runners-up getting smaller cash prizes as well. However, the event also had drawings for people to win other prizes like scholarships, a new car, and more.

The cartridge for the Nintendo Campus Challenge isn't as highly regarded as the Nintendo World Championships, but it's still just as rare. Only one cartridge of the game is known to still exist from the 1991 event, making it a very valuable collectible for die-hard Nintendo fans. One auction from a long time ago for the same Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge sold for around $20,000. Even some of the biggest Nintendo fans won't be so eager to spend that much on an old cartridge, even if it is a relic from a time in Nintendo history. But chances are you won't find any other cartridges around to buy one.

The legacy of Nintendo in collectibles

There are so many other relics that are pieces of Nintendo history. Many of which are held by collectors for sentimental value, with a few being sold at auction occasionally. Most people will probably never come across them in person because of how rare and coveted they have become, especially to those who love Nintendo. Yet their existence marks different points in the ongoing legacy of one of gaming's most beloved companies that people grew up with.