The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Original Xbox)
This post contains affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
PSA has graded 19 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Original Xbox copies on record — 1 CIB, 18 sealed. This page is the per-game pop + price + grading reference for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on Original Xbox — updated weekly from PSA’s official population data and PriceCharting’s market catalog.
Quick Facts
-
Title: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
-
Console: Original Xbox
-
Variants tracked by PSA: 1
-
Total PSA-graded copies: 19 (Loose: 0 · CIB: 1 · Sealed: 18)
-
PriceCharting market data: available
PSA Pop by Condition
PSA tracks The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 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 1 variant PSA recognizes for this title.
Loose Cartridge
PSA hasn’t graded any loose copies of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for Original Xbox yet.
Complete in Box (CIB)
Total graded: 1
| Variant | Pop | Grade Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Made in USA | 1 | 7.5: 1 |
Factory Sealed
Total graded: 18
Sealed summary by variant:
| Variant | Total Pop | Top Numeric Grade | Best Seal Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made in USA | 18 | 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 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 4 |
| 9.6 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 9.4 | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 9.2 | — | — | 3 | — | 3 |
| 9.0 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 8.5 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 18 |
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).
-
Loose cartridge: $13
-
Complete in Box (CIB): $14
-
Sealed: $42
Heritage Graded Sales
Heritage Auctions sold results below are real auction transactions for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on Original Xbox. 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 (Microsoft Security Label) | WATA 9.8 A+ | Last sale $528 | May 19, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed | WATA 9.8 A+ | $159-$240 range | Nov 7, 2023 | 2 |
| Factory sealed | WATA 9.6 A+ | Last sale $159 | Jul 4, 2023 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Microsoft Security Label) | WATA 9.2 A | $109-$159 range | Nov 1, 2022 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Microsoft Security Label) | WATA 9.4 B+ | Last sale $101 | May 31, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Microsoft Security Label Lord of the Rings Hologram Sticker) | WATA 9.4 A+ | Last sale $89 | Nov 22, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed | WATA 9.4 A+ | $55-$77 range | Jan 9, 2024 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Microsoft Security Label Hologram Sticker) | WATA 9.2 A | Last sale $71 | Dec 27, 2022 | 1 |
| Factory sealed | WATA 9.0 A | Last sale $47 | Feb 14, 2023 | 1 |
Sale records:
View all 12 Heritage sale records
| Date | Sold For | Grader / Grade | Format | Variant Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2024 | $55 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312402-67111 |
| Nov 7, 2023 | $240 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312345-66094 |
| Jul 4, 2023 | $159 | WATA 9.6 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312327-66136 |
| May 2, 2023 | $159 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312318-66187 |
| Mar 14, 2023 | $77 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312311-67176 |
| Feb 14, 2023 | $47 | WATA 9.0 A | Factory sealed | — | Lot 312307-67231 |
| Dec 27, 2022 | $71 | WATA 9.2 A | Factory sealed | Microsoft Security Label Hologram Sticker | Lot 312252-69243 |
| Nov 22, 2022 | $89 | WATA 9.4 A+ | Factory sealed | Microsoft Security Label Lord of the Rings Hologram Sticker | Lot 312247-69249 |
| Nov 1, 2022 | $109 | WATA 9.2 A | Factory sealed | Microsoft Security Label | Lot 312244-66230 |
| May 31, 2022 | $101 | WATA 9.4 B+ | Factory sealed | Microsoft Security Label | Lot 312222-70149 |
| May 19, 2022 | $528 | WATA 9.8 A+ | Factory sealed | Microsoft Security Label | Lot 41164-80201 |
| May 10, 2022 | $159 | WATA 9.2 A | Factory sealed | Microsoft Security Label | Lot 312219-67129 |
Listings
Each link below opens an eBay search filtered to that condition, scoped to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on Original Xbox. “Sold” pulls completed/sold listings (use this for price research). “Listings” pulls current active listings (use this to find a copy to buy).
Why The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Matters for Grading
With 19 PSA-graded copies on record, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King sits in the mid-rarity tier for Original Xbox — graded copies surface periodically on eBay but command meaningful premiums over raw. The sealed condition dominates submissions (18 of 19, ~94%) — a strong signal that’s where most collector value sits for this title. Sealed copies trade at roughly 3× the loose price ($42 vs $13). Solid spread for grading speculation if you can source a clean sealed cart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Original Xbox worth grading?
Mostly for sealed copies. The sealed-state population (18) outweighs CIB and loose for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 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 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King?
PSA tracks 18 graded sealed copies of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for Original Xbox. 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 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King?
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 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King?
PSA’s database currently shows one tracked variant for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on Original Xbox. That doesn’t mean only one variant exists — production codes that haven’t been submitted yet won’t appear on the census. Check the back of your cartridge for production-location markings (“Made in Japan”, “Made in Mexico”) and the box for ESRB-rating placement to identify your specific variant.
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
-
Original Xbox Game Library — every variant PSA tracks for this console, with pop + price per condition tier (loose, CIB, sealed).
-
Retro Video Game Collecting — pillar with broader strategy, market dynamics, and grading economics.
More Original Xbox pop reports & prices: