Here's What A Gold Minish Cap Game Boy Advance SP Is Worth Today
There is a legend surrounding the special edition gold Minish Cap Game Boy Advance SP system you may not know. And it's an essential one to be aware of unless, of course, you want to spend five figures on something that may not be quite as legendary as you think.
The story begins a long time ago (back in 2004), across the pond in the land known as Great Britain. Nintendo released 25,000 "Zelda Limited Edition Pak" bundles that included its new game "The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap" along with a full Game Boy Advance SP. But this was not just your average ordinary Game Boy Advance SP. This limited edition Game Boy was wrapped in gold and stamped with the familiar Tri-Force logo on the top of the case and a Hyrule Crest inside, on the bottom right corner.
The LCD screen was capable of banging out 32,000 colors at a 240 by 160-pixel screen resolution, but since it was based on the old AGS-001 model, it was a front-lit screen instead of the superior backlit screen found on the AGS-101 models. Otherwise, it featured all the same inputs, features, and controls as other Advance SPs.
But it also housed another secret. No, not that the Minish are also called Picori by the Hylians. This secret is much more significant.
The golden Game Boy with Willy Wonka aspirations
Hidden inside just six of the 25,000 "Zelda Limited Edition Pak" released was a Willy Wonka-esque golden ticket that redeemable for a prize worth far more. If you stumbled onto one of these gold cards, you could turn it in for an ultra-rare Game Boy Advance SP plated in real, 24-karat gold.
The Nerdist deciphered Internet runes and discovered that a seventh one might have been made as a giveaway for a website called GamesTM, but its existence has never been confirmed.
Making the legend of the 24-karat gold Game Boy even more bizarre is that neither Nintendo nor any of the winners have ever been revealed. Only a few stock photos, a randomly old listing for one that popped up on an online store, and some alleged photos posted on a Spanish blog were the only proof it even happened — aside from Nintendo's original advertisement graphic, of course.
What would one be worth?
Then, in 2019, LSuperSonicQ, a YouTuber who hunts for lost media, uncovered what was likely another authentic golden goose posted on a UK eBay listing. He actually mentioned two, but one was from the 2010 Spanish blog source. A user named Simon Watts replied to his Tweet and said that despite the myths, it was not solid metal. Nintendo just electroplated the golden hue onto the same plastic housing it used on all its other versions. LSuperSonicQ stated that he has not yet "heard from or seen an original winner."
Big thanks to @TheGPikachuz, @arphage6 and @SimonBWatts, because we now have proof that the 24k gold GBAs were distributed and still exist!
They never came in any special packaging, but are part metal instead of all plastic. 7 are out there, and these two are likely authentic! pic.twitter.com/AWzoHU2URT
— LSuperSonicQ (@LSuperSonicQ) April 3, 2019
If you search online auction sites, you may see listings for a "Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP Legend of Zelda gold handheld system" going for insane amounts of money. One is asking for $79,999.99, while another asks for $95,000. The 24-karat version had no Tri-Force logo or a Hyrule Crest, and it didn't even come in a box. Thus, both of these listings are assuredly for ones from the far more common 25,000 floating around the world and not one of the uber-rare six (or seven) 24-karat versions. In fact, the pre-gold "Zelda Limited Edition Pak" can be purchased for far, far less. So, buyer beware.