Donkey Kong 3 Nintendo NES: PSA Pop Report + Loose / CIB / Sealed Prices
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PSA has graded 55 Donkey Kong 3 Nintendo NES copies on record — 39 CIB, 16 sealed. PSA tracks 8 distinct production variants separately because they’re priced differently by collectors. Sealed copies trade in the $597 range. This page is the per-game pop + price + grading reference for Donkey Kong 3 on Nintendo NES — updated weekly from PSA’s official population data and PriceCharting’s market catalog.
Quick Facts
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Title: Donkey Kong 3
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Console: Nintendo NES
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Variants tracked by PSA: 8
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Total PSA-graded copies: 55 (Loose: 0 · CIB: 39 · Sealed: 16)
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PriceCharting market data: available
Variant Comparison
PSA recognizes 8 distinct production variants of Donkey Kong 3, each tracked on its own population row because collectors value them differently.
| Variant | Loose Pop | CIB Pop | Sealed Pop | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Made in Japan, Hangtab | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - Gloss Sticker | — | 12 | — | 12 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - Gloss Sticker - NES GP | — | — | — | — |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP | — | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code | — | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code - NES TM | — | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Made in Japan, No Rev-A | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Made in Japan, Rev-A | — | 8 | 7 | 15 |
PSA Pop by Condition
PSA tracks Donkey Kong 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 8 variants PSA recognizes for this title.
Loose Cartridge
PSA hasn’t graded any loose copies of Donkey Kong 3 for Nintendo NES yet.
Complete in Box (CIB)
Total graded: 39
| Variant | Pop | Grade Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Made in Japan, Hangtab | 2 | 9.2: 1 · 7.5: 1 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - Gloss Sticker | 12 | 9.2: 2 · 9.0: 1 · 7.5: 2 · 7.0: 3 · 6.5: 1 · <6.5: 3 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP | 4 | 8.0: 1 · 7.0: 1 · <6.5: 2 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code | 8 | 9.0: 1 · 8.5: 1 · 8.0: 2 · 7.5: 2 · 6.5: 1 · <6.5: 1 |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code - NES TM | 4 | 9.0: 1 · 8.0: 1 · 7.5: 2 |
| Made in Japan, No Rev-A | 1 | 6.5: 1 |
| Made in Japan, Rev-A | 8 | 9.2: 1 · 8.5: 2 · 8.0: 1 · 7.5: 2 · 6.5: 2 |
PSA has not graded the following variant in this condition: Made in Japan, Hangtab - Gloss Sticker - NES GP.
Factory Sealed
Total graded: 16
Sealed summary by variant:
| Variant | Total Pop | Top Numeric Grade | Best Seal Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP | 2 | 9.4 | A |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code | 6 | 9.4 | A+ |
| Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code - NES TM | 1 | 9.6 | A |
| Made in Japan, Rev-A | 7 | 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: 9.6 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A+ | A | B+ | NS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 3 |
| 9.4 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 4 |
| 9.2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 4 |
| 9.0 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 8.5 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
| 8.0 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 7.0 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
Per-variant grade × seal matrices
Click any variant to expand its full grade × seal breakdown.
Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP (2 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.4 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A | NS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.4 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 8.5 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code (6 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.4 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A+ | A | B+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.4 | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 9.2 | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 9.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 8.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Made in Japan, Hangtab - NES-GP - NES Code - NES TM (1 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.6 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 |
Made in Japan, Rev-A (7 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.6 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A+ | A | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 9.4 | — | 2 | 2 |
| 9.2 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 8.5 | — | 1 | 1 |
| 7.0 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 4 | 7 |
PSA has not graded the following variants in this condition: Made in Japan, Hangtab · Made in Japan, Hangtab - Gloss Sticker · Made in Japan, Hangtab - Gloss Sticker - NES GP · Made in Japan, No Rev-A.
Current Market Prices
All prices below are pulled directly from PriceCharting’s public catalog and refreshed each time this article regenerates (typically weekly). PriceCharting computes their values from active and recently-sold listings on eBay + their dealer network — 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: $25
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Complete in Box (CIB): $149
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Sealed: $597
All 8 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.
Listings
Each link below opens an eBay search filtered to that condition, scoped to Donkey Kong 3 on Nintendo NES. “Sold” pulls completed/sold listings (use this for price research). “Listings” pulls current active listings (use this to find a copy to buy).
Why Donkey Kong 3 Matters for Grading
Donkey Kong 3 is one of the more heavily-graded Nintendo NES titles, with 55 PSA populations on record across loose, CIB, and sealed. Strong submission volume signals collector demand — and grade premiums are the market’s vote on which copies are scarce. The cib condition dominates submissions (39 of 55, ~70%) — a strong signal that’s where most collector value sits for this title. The sealed-to-loose price ratio is roughly 23× — sealed copies trade at $597 while loose carts move around $25. That spread means a fresh sealed find is the move; raw cart flips have thinner margins after grading fees. Because PSA tracks 8 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 Donkey Kong 3 Nintendo NES worth grading?
Yes for clean, top-condition copies. Donkey Kong 3 has a healthy 55-copy graded population, and the higher-tier grades (9.4+) consistently command meaningful premiums over raw. Mid-tier grades (7-8) often net break-even after grading fees, so submission strategy matters.
How rare is a graded CIB copy of Donkey Kong 3?
PSA tracks 39 graded CIB copies of Donkey Kong 3 for Nintendo NES. 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 Donkey Kong 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 Donkey Kong 3?
PSA recognizes 8 distinct production variants of Donkey Kong 3 on Nintendo NES. 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.
Related Resources
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Nintendo NES Game Library (forthcoming) — every variant PSA tracks for this console.
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Retro Video Game Collecting — pillar with broader strategy, market dynamics, and grading economics.