Gauntlet (Unlicensed) Nintendo NES: PSA Pop Report + Loose / CIB / Sealed Prices
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PSA has graded 43 Gauntlet (Unlicensed) Nintendo NES copies on record — 4 CIB, 39 sealed. PSA tracks 3 distinct production variants separately because they’re priced differently by collectors. Sealed copies trade in the $276 range. This page is the per-game pop + price + grading reference for Gauntlet (Unlicensed) on Nintendo NES — updated weekly from PSA’s official population data and PriceCharting’s market catalog.
Quick Facts
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Title: Gauntlet (Unlicensed)
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Console: Nintendo NES
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Variants tracked by PSA: 3
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Total PSA-graded copies: 43 (Loose: 0 · CIB: 4 · Sealed: 39)
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PriceCharting market data: available
Variant Comparison
PSA recognizes 3 distinct production variants of Gauntlet (Unlicensed), each tracked on its own population row because collectors value them differently.
| Variant | Loose Pop | CIB Pop | Sealed Pop | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Made in USA, Tengen Black SOQ Printed | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Made in USA, Tengen Black SOQ Sticker | — | 1 | 21 | 22 |
| Made in USA, Tengen Gold SOQ | — | 2 | 18 | 20 |
PSA Pop by Condition
PSA tracks Gauntlet (Unlicensed) 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 Gauntlet (Unlicensed) for Nintendo NES yet.
Complete in Box (CIB)
Total graded: 4
| Variant | Pop | Grade Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Made in USA, Tengen Black SOQ Printed | 1 | 7.5: 1 |
| Made in USA, Tengen Black SOQ Sticker | 1 | 8.0: 1 |
| Made in USA, Tengen Gold SOQ | 2 | 8.5: 1 · 8.0: 1 |
Factory Sealed
Total graded: 39
Sealed summary by variant:
| Variant | Total Pop | Top Numeric Grade | Best Seal Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made in USA, Tengen Black SOQ Sticker | 21 | 9.6 | A++ |
| Made in USA, Tengen Gold SOQ | 18 | 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+ | A | B+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 5 |
| 9.4 | 2 | 4 | — | — | 6 |
| 9.2 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 6 |
| 9.0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | 7 |
| 8.5 | 1 | 5 | — | — | 6 |
| 8.0 | — | 5 | — | — | 5 |
| 7.5 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| <6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 11 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 39 |
Per-variant grade × seal matrices
Click any variant to expand its full grade × seal breakdown.
Made in USA, Tengen Black SOQ Sticker (21 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.6 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | A | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 |
| 9.4 | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| 9.2 | 2 | 3 | — | 5 |
| 9.0 | — | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 8.5 | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 8.0 | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| 7.5 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 13 | 3 | 21 |
Made in USA, Tengen Gold SOQ (18 sealed pop)
Top observed grade: 9.6 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | A | B+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| 9.4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 4 |
| 9.2 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| 9.0 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
| 8.5 | — | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| 8.0 | — | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| 7.5 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| <6.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
PSA has not graded the following variant in this condition: Made in USA, Tengen Black SOQ Printed.
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: $15
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Complete in Box (CIB): $58
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Sealed: $276
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.
Heritage Graded Sales
Heritage Auctions sold results below are real auction transactions for Gauntlet (Unlicensed) 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 (Tengen Black Soq) | WATA 9.6 A++ | $2,040-$2,640 range | Oct 12, 2021 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Black Soq Sticker) | WATA 9.6 A+ | Last sale $1,680 | Jan 11, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Black Soq) | WATA 9.0 A | $900-$960 range | Nov 9, 2021 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Black Soq) | WATA 9.2 A++ | Last sale $900 | Sep 21, 2021 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Black Soq Sticker) | WATA 9.2 A++ | Last sale $660 | Jul 12, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Gold Soq) | WATA 8.0 A+ | Last sale $600 | Jan 25, 2021 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Gold Soq the Carolina Collection) | WATA 9.4 A+ | Last sale $384 | Aug 30, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Gold Soq) | WATA 8.5 A+ | Last sale $264 | Nov 29, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Tengen Gold Soq) | WATA 7.5 A | Last sale $228 | Oct 25, 2022 | 1 |
Sale records:
View all 11 Heritage sale records
| Date | Sold For | Grader / Grade | Format | Variant Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 2022 | $264 | WATA 8.5 A+ | Factory sealed | Tengen Gold Soq | Lot 312248-70035 |
| Oct 25, 2022 | $228 | WATA 7.5 A | Factory sealed | Tengen Gold Soq | Lot 312243-69032 |
| Aug 30, 2022 | $384 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | Tengen Gold Soq the Carolina Collection | Lot 312235-70043 |
| Jul 12, 2022 | $660 | WATA 9.2 A++ | Factory sealed | Tengen Black Soq Sticker | Lot 312228-67042 |
| Jan 11, 2022 | $1,680 | WATA 9.6 A+ | Factory sealed | Tengen Black Soq Sticker | Lot 312202-67021 |
| Nov 9, 2021 | $900 | WATA 9.0 A | Factory sealed | Tengen Black Soq | Lot 312145-67019 |
| Oct 12, 2021 | $2,640 | WATA 9.6 A++ | Factory sealed | Tengen Black Soq | Lot 312141-67024 |
| Sep 21, 2021 | $900 | WATA 9.2 A++ | Factory sealed | Tengen Black Soq | Lot 312138-68031 |
| Apr 13, 2021 | $2,040 | WATA 9.6 A++ | Factory sealed | Tengen Black Soq | Lot 312115-67033 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | $600 | WATA 8.0 A+ | Factory sealed | Tengen Gold Soq | Lot 122104-17943 |
| Jan 4, 2021 | $960 | WATA 9.0 A | Factory sealed | Tengen Black Soq | Lot 122101-11693 |
Listings
Each link below opens an eBay search filtered to that condition, scoped to Gauntlet (Unlicensed) 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 Gauntlet (Unlicensed) Matters for Grading
With 43 PSA-graded copies on record, Gauntlet (Unlicensed) sits in the mid-rarity tier for Nintendo NES — graded copies surface periodically on eBay but command meaningful premiums over raw. The sealed condition dominates submissions (39 of 43, ~90%) — a strong signal that’s where most collector value sits for this title. The sealed-to-loose price ratio is roughly 18× — sealed copies trade at $276 while loose carts move around $15. That spread means a fresh sealed find is the move; raw cart flips have thinner margins after grading fees. 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 Gauntlet (Unlicensed) Nintendo NES worth grading?
Mostly for sealed copies. The sealed-state population (39) outweighs CIB and loose for Gauntlet (Unlicensed), 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 Gauntlet (Unlicensed)?
PSA tracks 39 graded sealed copies of Gauntlet (Unlicensed) 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 Gauntlet (Unlicensed)?
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 Gauntlet (Unlicensed)?
PSA recognizes 3 distinct production variants of Gauntlet (Unlicensed) 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.