Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Genesis): PSA Pop Report & Prices
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PSA has graded 74 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sega Genesis copies on record — 6 CIB, 68 sealed. PSA tracks 3 distinct production variants separately because they’re priced differently by collectors. Sealed copies trade in the $209 range. This page is the per-game pop + price + grading reference for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on Sega Genesis — updated weekly from PSA’s official population data and PriceCharting’s market catalog.
Quick Facts
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Title: Sonic the Hedgehog 3
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Console: Sega Genesis
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Variants tracked by PSA: 3
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Total PSA-graded copies: 74 (Loose: 0 · CIB: 6 · Sealed: 68)
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PriceCharting market data: available
Variant Comparison
PSA recognizes 3 distinct production variants of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, each tracked on its own population row because collectors value them differently.
| Variant | Loose Pop | CIB Pop | Sealed Pop | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembled in Mexico, Mega Hit Series - Distributed by Majesco | — | — | 8 | 8 |
| Assembled in USA, Clamshell | — | 6 | 49 | 55 |
| Made in USA, Mega Hit Series | — | — | 11 | 11 |
PSA Pop by Condition
PSA tracks Sonic the Hedgehog 3 populations independently for loose carts, complete-in-box (CIB), and factory-sealed copies — collectors price each condition separately because rarity and demand diverge sharply. Tables below show the grade-tier breakdown per condition, aggregated across 3 variants PSA recognizes for this title.
Loose Cartridge
PSA hasn’t graded any loose copies of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for Sega Genesis yet.
Complete in Box (CIB)
Total graded: 6
| Variant | Pop | Grade Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Assembled in USA, Clamshell | 6 | 9.4: 3 · 9.2: 1 · 9.0: 1 · 8.5: 1 |
PSA has not graded the following variants in this condition: Assembled in Mexico, Mega Hit Series - Distributed by Majesco · Made in USA, Mega Hit Series.
Factory Sealed
Total graded: 68
Sealed summary by variant:
| Variant | Total Pop | Top Numeric Grade | Best Seal Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assembled in Mexico, Mega Hit Series - Distributed by Majesco | 8 | 9.8 | A++ |
| Assembled in USA, Clamshell | 49 | 9.8 | A++ |
| Made in USA, Mega Hit Series | 11 | 9.6 | A++ |
Factory Sealed Grade × Seal Matrix
Rows show PSA numeric grades. Columns show seal grades. Cell values are PSA population counts. Aggregated across all variants. Top observed grade: 9.8 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | A | B+ | B | C+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | 2 | 6 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 13 |
| 9.6 | 5 | 11 | 4 | — | 3 | 1 | 24 |
| 9.4 | 4 | 2 | — | 5 | 3 | — | 14 |
| 9.2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 |
| 9.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 6 |
| 8.5 | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 3 |
| 8.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 7.5 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 3 |
| 7.0 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 6.5 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Total | 12 | 26 | 7 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 68 |
Per-variant grade × seal matrices
Click any variant to expand its full grade × seal breakdown.
Assembled in Mexico, Mega Hit Series - Distributed by Majesco (8 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.8 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | A | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 9.6 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 9.4 | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| 9.2 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 9.0 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6.5 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
Assembled in USA, Clamshell (49 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.8 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | A | B+ | B | C+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | 1 | 6 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 12 |
| 9.6 | 3 | 7 | 4 | — | 3 | 1 | 18 |
| 9.4 | 1 | 1 | — | 5 | 3 | — | 10 |
| 9.2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| 9.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| 8.5 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| 8.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 7.5 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| 7.0 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 15 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 49 |
Made in USA, Mega Hit Series (11 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.6 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 9.4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9.0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8.5 | — | 1 | 1 |
| 7.5 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 4 | 7 | 11 |
Current Market Prices
All prices below come from PriceCharting’s public catalog as of this page’s last update. PriceCharting calculates its values from completed sales on eBay and its own marketplace — independent of any data on this page. The Sealed column reflects PriceCharting’s “manual-only” / new tier — factory-sealed retail at average condition; specific graded-sealed prices vary sharply by numeric grade + seal letter (use the Sealed eBay browse link below for grade-specific comps).
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Loose cartridge: $30
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Complete in Box (CIB): $52
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Sealed: $209
All 3 PSA-tracked variants share the same PriceCharting prices because PriceCharting indexes at the title level, not the variant level. Variant-specific pricing surfaces on eBay sold-comp data — check the Sealed / CIB / Loose browse links below for variant-aware market signals.
Auction House Graded Sales
Heritage Auctions and Goldin sold results below are real auction transactions for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on Sega Genesis. They complement the PriceCharting loose / CIB / sealed benchmarks above; they are not estimates and they are not blended into PriceCharting’s ungraded market prices.
Summary rows are title-level auction sale signals, sorted by format, recency, and realized-price signal. PSA production variants can price differently, so the sale records keep each auction house’s own variant notes visible instead of pretending every auction lot maps cleanly to a PSA variant row.
High-grade games can trade years apart, so older auction records stay visible; treat the latest-sale date as part of the comp, not just the dollar amount.
| Format | Grade | Sale signal | Latest sale | Comps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factory sealed (Clamshell Early Production) | CGC 9.8 A++ | Last sale $3,750 | Mar 28, 2026 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Clamshell Early Production) | VGA 90 | Last sale $2,125 | May 24, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Assembled in USA, Clamshell) | WATA 9.8 A+ | Last sale $1,769 | Aug 3, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Assembled in Mexico Mega Hit Series Later Production) | CGC 9.8 A++ | Last sale $688 | Apr 3, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Clamshell Early Production) | WATA 9.4 B+ | Last sale $350 | Aug 5, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Made in USA Mega Hit Series Later Production) | CGC 9.0 A | Last sale $162 | Nov 19, 2024 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Assembled in Mexico Mega Hit Series Later Production) | WATA 9.0 A+ | Last sale $139 | Nov 11, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Assembled in Mexico Mega Hit Series Later Production) | CGC 8.0 A+ | Last sale $109 | Jan 7, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Clamshell Early Production) | WATA 9.6 A+ | Last sale $4,200 | Aug 7, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Clamshell Early Production) | WATA 9.8 A+ | Median $3,480 | Nov 4, 2023 | 3 |
| Factory sealed (Clamshell Early Production) | WATA 9.6 A | Last sale $3,360 | Apr 22, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed | WATA 9.6 B | Last sale $2,040 | Oct 31, 2021 | 1 |
Showing the top 12 auction sale signals; the sale-record table below includes every auction auction sale used on this page.
Sale records:
View all 21 auction sale records
| Date | Sold For | Grader / Grade | Format | Variant Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2026 | $3,750 | CGC 9.8 A++ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7452-28104 |
| Nov 11, 2025 | $139 | WATA 9.0 A+ | Factory sealed | Assembled in Mexico Mega Hit Series Later Production | Lot 312545-67038 |
| Aug 5, 2025 | $350 | WATA 9.4 B+ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 312531-66063 |
| Aug 3, 2025 | $1,769 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Assembled in USA, Clamshell | Goldin lot 202505-1317-0706-84d74ff6-de59-4b25-99c5-9b015e1c4ba7 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | $79 | CGC 8.5 | CIB | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 312526-66066 |
| May 24, 2025 | $2,125 | VGA 90 | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7415-28331 |
| Apr 3, 2025 | $688 | CGC 9.8 A++ | Factory sealed | Assembled in Mexico Mega Hit Series Later Production | Lot 44302-80050 |
| Jan 7, 2025 | $109 | CGC 8.0 A+ | Factory sealed | Assembled in Mexico Mega Hit Series Later Production | Lot 312501-66068 |
| Nov 19, 2024 | $162 | CGC 9.0 A | Factory sealed | Made in USA Mega Hit Series Later Production | Lot 312447-68073 |
| Aug 20, 2024 | $150 | CGC 9.0 A++ | Factory sealed | Made in USA Mega Hit Series Later Production | Lot 312434-68049 |
| Feb 27, 2024 | $408 | VGA 85+ | Factory sealed | Assembled in Mexico Mega Hit Series Later Production | Lot 312409-69041 |
| Nov 4, 2023 | $2,880 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7350-28096 |
| Jul 28, 2023 | $4,320 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7349-28123 |
| Jul 28, 2023 | $1,080 | CGC 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7349-28323 |
| Feb 7, 2023 | $492 | WATA 8.5 B+ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 312306-66116 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | $3,480 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7290-28152 |
| Aug 7, 2022 | $4,200 | WATA 9.6 A+ | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7288-28164 |
| Jul 26, 2022 | $528 | WATA 9.4 B+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312230-69129 |
| May 3, 2022 | $600 | WATA 7.5 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312218-66086 |
| Apr 22, 2022 | $3,360 | WATA 9.6 A | Factory sealed | Clamshell Early Production | Lot 7286-28163 |
| Oct 31, 2021 | $2,040 | WATA 9.6 B | Factory sealed | — | Lot 7263-29275 |
Listings
Each link below opens an eBay search filtered to that condition, scoped to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on Sega Genesis. “Sold” pulls completed/sold listings (use this for price research). “Listings” pulls current active listings (use this to find a copy to buy).
Why Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Matters for Grading
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is one of the more heavily-graded Sega Genesis titles, with 74 PSA-graded copies on record (68 sealed, 6 CIB). Strong submission volume signals collector demand — and grade premiums are the market’s vote on which copies are scarce. The sealed condition dominates submissions (68 of 74, ~91%) — a strong signal that’s where most collector value sits for this title. Sealed copies trade at roughly 6× the loose price ($209 vs $30). Solid spread for grading speculation if you can source a clean sealed cart. Because PSA tracks 3 variants separately, production-code identification matters before submission. The pop-by-variant breakdown above tells you which variant is the rarer find.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sega Genesis worth grading?
Mostly for sealed copies. The sealed-state population (68) outweighs CIB and loose for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, indicating sealed is where collector capital concentrates. CIB and loose grading is viable but margins are thinner after fees.
How rare is a graded sealed copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 3?
PSA tracks 68 graded sealed copies of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for Sega Genesis. The grade-tier breakdown above shows how those split across PSA’s numeric grades — top-grade copies (9.4+) are the scarcest and typically command the strongest premiums.
Should I buy a graded or raw copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 3?
Depends on your goal. Graded copies cost more upfront but come with PSA’s authenticity + condition guarantee — the right move for buy-and-hold collectors. Raw copies are cheaper but require condition assessment yourself, and the grading lottery means a $50 raw cart can come back as a $25 PSA 7 OR a $200 PSA 9.4. Use the per-condition pop and price data above to calculate expected value before you commit.
Why does PSA track multiple variants of Sonic the Hedgehog 3?
PSA recognizes 3 distinct production variants of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on Sega Genesis. Variants reflect real production differences — different factories (Made in Japan vs Made in Mexico), packaging die changes, ESRB-rating retrofits added partway through the console’s life, or Players Choice reissues from later runs. Collectors price them differently because rarity diverges, and PSA tracks each on its own population row so the data reflects the real market structure.
Sources
Pop counts pulled weekly from PSA Video Games population data. Prices from PriceCharting. PSA acquired WATA in July 2021 and completed the rebrand to PSA Video Games on October 20, 2025. PSA Video Games population data is the continuation of WATA’s population history. Heritage graded-sale comps come from Heritage Auctions sold archive lot pages linked in the sale-record table. Goldin graded-sale comps come from Goldin (goldin.co) sold lot pages linked in the sale-record table; Goldin prices are the lot’s final price as Goldin reports it. Rankings, medians and summaries are What The Slab analysis — How we get our numbers.
Related Resources
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Sega Genesis Game Library — every variant PSA tracks for this console, with pop + price per condition tier (loose, CIB, sealed).
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Retro Video Game Collecting — pillar with broader strategy, market dynamics, and grading economics.
More Sega Genesis pop reports & prices: