Donkey Kong Classics Nintendo NES: PSA Pop Report + Loose / CIB / Sealed Prices
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PSA has graded 70 Donkey Kong Classics Nintendo NES copies on record — 1 loose, 21 CIB, 48 sealed. PSA tracks 4 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 Donkey Kong Classics 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 Classics
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Console: Nintendo NES
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Variants tracked by PSA: 4
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Total PSA-graded copies: 70 (Loose: 1 · CIB: 21 · Sealed: 48)
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PriceCharting market data: available
Variant Comparison
PSA recognizes 4 distinct production variants of Donkey Kong Classics, each tracked on its own population row because collectors value them differently. The variants this game discriminates on: USA-region production code labeling.
| Variant | Loose Pop | CIB Pop | Sealed Pop | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Screw, Oval SOQ TM - USA Code | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Made in Japan, Oval SOQ R | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Made in Japan, Oval SOQ TM | — | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| Made in Japan, Round SOQ | — | 12 | 32 | 44 |
PSA Pop by Condition
PSA tracks Donkey Kong Classics 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 4 variants PSA recognizes for this title.
Loose Cartridge
Total graded: 1
| Variant | Pop | Grade Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Screw, Oval SOQ TM - USA Code | 1 | 8.5: 1 |
PSA has not graded the following variants in this condition: Made in Japan, Oval SOQ R · Made in Japan, Oval SOQ TM · Made in Japan, Round SOQ.
Complete in Box (CIB)
Total graded: 21
| Variant | Pop | Grade Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Made in Japan, Oval SOQ R | 1 | 8.5: 1 |
| Made in Japan, Oval SOQ TM | 8 | 9.4: 1 · 9.2: 2 · 8.0: 5 |
| Made in Japan, Round SOQ | 12 | 9.4: 1 · 9.2: 1 · 9.0: 1 · 8.5: 3 · 7.5: 2 · 7.0: 3 · 6.5: 1 |
PSA has not graded the following variant in this condition: 3 Screw, Oval SOQ TM - USA Code.
Factory Sealed
Total graded: 48
Sealed summary by variant:
| Variant | Total Pop | Top Numeric Grade | Best Seal Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made in Japan, Oval SOQ R | 1 | 8.0 | A |
| Made in Japan, Oval SOQ TM | 15 | 9.8 | A+ |
| Made in Japan, Round SOQ | 32 | 9.8 | 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+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | 2 | 4 | — | — | 6 |
| 9.6 | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | 11 |
| 9.4 | 1 | 8 | 3 | — | 12 |
| 9.2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 3 |
| 9.0 | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 8.5 | — | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| 8.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7.5 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| <6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 7 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 48 |
Per-variant grade × seal matrices
Click any variant to expand its full grade × seal breakdown.
Made in Japan, Oval SOQ R (1 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 8.0 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 8.0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 |
Made in Japan, Oval SOQ TM (15 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.8 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A+ | A | B+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 9.6 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 9.4 | 3 | 2 | — | 5 |
| 9.0 | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 8.5 | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 8.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 7.5 | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 6.5 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
Made in Japan, Round SOQ (32 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.8 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | A | B+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 5 |
| 9.6 | 3 | 6 | — | — | 9 |
| 9.4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 7 |
| 9.2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 3 |
| 9.0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8.5 | — | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| 6.5 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| <6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 7 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 32 |
PSA has not graded the following variant in this condition: 3 Screw, Oval SOQ TM - USA Code.
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: $19
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Complete in Box (CIB): $46
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Sealed: $209
All 4 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.
Heritage Graded Sales
Heritage Auctions sold results below are real auction transactions for Donkey Kong Classics on Nintendo NES. 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 Heritage sale signals, sorted by format, recency, and realized-price signal. PSA production variants can price differently, so the sale records keep Heritage’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 (Rev A Round Soq First Production) | WATA 9.6 A+ | 2 comps, wide spread $1,062-$2,640 | Nov 22, 2025 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Rev A Round Soq First Production) | WATA 9.6 A++ | 2 comps, wide spread $1,094-$2,520 | Jan 22, 2026 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Rev A Round Soq First Production) | WATA 9.8 A+ | Last sale $2,312 | Mar 28, 2026 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Rev A Round Soq First Production) | VGA 85 | Last sale $750 | Jul 23, 2024 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq Tm Later Production) | VGA 85+ | Last sale $575 | Mar 4, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq Tm Later Production) | WATA 9.0 A | $312-$432 range | Feb 17, 2026 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq Tm Later Production) | WATA 9.4 A | Last sale $375 | Dec 24, 2024 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Rev A Round Soq First Production) | WATA 8.5 A+ | Last sale $250 | Mar 11, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Rev A Round Soq) | WATA 9.8 A+ | Last sale $7,200 | Aug 17, 2021 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Rev A Round Soq Early Production) | WATA 9.8 A+ | Last sale $4,560 | Jul 11, 2021 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Rev A Round Soq Early Production) | WATA 9.4 A+ | $2,040-$2,640 range | Aug 3, 2021 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq Tm Later Production) | WATA 9.6 A+ | Last sale $2,640 | Jul 11, 2021 | 1 |
Showing the top 12 Heritage sale signals; the sale-record table below includes every Heritage auction sale used on this page.
Sale records:
View all 31 Heritage sale records
| Date | Sold For | Grader / Grade | Format | Variant Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2026 | $2,312 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 7452-28141 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | $312 | WATA 9.0 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq Tm Later Production | Lot 312607-68011 |
| Jan 22, 2026 | $1,094 | WATA 9.6 A++ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 44343-79006 |
| Nov 22, 2025 | $1,062 | WATA 9.6 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 7428-28133 |
| Mar 11, 2025 | $250 | WATA 8.5 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 312510-67005 |
| Mar 4, 2025 | $575 | VGA 85+ | Factory sealed | Oval Soq Tm Later Production | Lot 312509-66006 |
| Dec 24, 2024 | $375 | WATA 9.4 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq Tm Later Production | Lot 312452-69004 |
| Jul 23, 2024 | $750 | VGA 85 | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 312430-69014 |
| Apr 30, 2024 | $175 | WATA 6.5 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq Tm Later Production | Lot 312418-70011 |
| Nov 30, 2023 | $2,520 | WATA 9.6 A++ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 44223-79028 |
| Oct 31, 2023 | $109 | CGC 8.5 | CIB | Oval Soq Tm Later Production | Lot 312344-70009 |
| Aug 8, 2023 | $660 | WATA 9.0 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 312332-67020 |
| Mar 14, 2023 | $432 | WATA 9.0 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq Tm Later Production | Lot 312311-67023 |
| Feb 9, 2023 | $780 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 44176-80018 |
| Feb 7, 2023 | $99 | WATA 8.5 | CIB | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 312306-66009 |
| Oct 25, 2022 | $552 | WATA 9.0 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312243-69026 |
| Aug 7, 2022 | $1,740 | VGA 90+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq Early Production | Lot 7288-29021 |
| May 17, 2022 | $109 | WATA 7.0 | CIB | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 312220-68014 |
| Apr 23, 2022 | $2,640 | WATA 9.6 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 7286-29015 |
| Feb 1, 2022 | $198 | WATA 8.5 | CIB | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 312205-66021 |
| Dec 9, 2021 | $1,920 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq First Production | Lot 44151-79017 |
| Oct 12, 2021 | $1,920 | WATA 9.4 A | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq Early Production | Lot 312141-67022 |
| Aug 17, 2021 | $7,200 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq | Lot 312133-68037 |
| Aug 3, 2021 | $2,640 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq Early Production | Lot 312131-66056 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | $4,560 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq Early Production | Lot 7261-29030 |
| Jul 11, 2021 | $2,640 | WATA 9.6 A+ | Factory sealed | Oval Soq Tm Later Production | Lot 7261-29031 |
| Jan 18, 2021 | $2,040 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq Early Production | Lot 122103-15904 |
| Nov 22, 2020 | $1,560 | WATA 9.4 A | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq Early Production | Lot 7236-97086 |
| Nov 2, 2020 | $204 | WATA 8.5 | CIB | Rev A Round Soq | Lot 122044-11909 |
| Sep 28, 2020 | $240 | WATA 5.5 B+ | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq | Lot 122039-17912 |
| Aug 3, 2020 | $870 | WATA 9.2 A | Factory sealed | Rev A Round Soq Early Production | Lot 122031-11725 |
Listings
Each link below opens an eBay search filtered to that condition, scoped to Donkey Kong Classics 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 Classics Matters for Grading
Donkey Kong Classics is one of the more heavily-graded Nintendo NES titles, with 70 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 sealed-to-loose price ratio is roughly 11× — sealed copies trade at $209 while loose carts move around $19. That spread means a fresh sealed find is the move; raw cart flips have thinner margins after grading fees. Because PSA tracks 4 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 Classics Nintendo NES worth grading?
Mostly for sealed copies. The sealed-state population (48) outweighs CIB and loose for Donkey Kong Classics, 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 Donkey Kong Classics?
PSA tracks 48 graded sealed copies of Donkey Kong Classics 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 Classics?
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 Classics?
PSA recognizes 4 distinct production variants of Donkey Kong Classics 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. Heritage graded-sale comps come from Heritage Auctions sold archive lot pages linked in the sale-record table.
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.