Piecing Together the History of Nintendo Games: Clues to Use When Dating & Authenticating NES Box Games & Cartridges - Video Game Gem Vault

Piecing Together the History of Nintendo Games: Clues to Use When Dating & Authenticating NES Box Games & Cartridges

Let’s start at the beginning. In 1985, Nintendo announced 17 launch titles for its Nintendo Entertainment System.

What were Nintendo's 1985 Launch Titles for the NES, you ask? Well, here they are!

1. Excitebike
2. Duck Hunt
3. Super Mario Bros.
4. Ice Climber
5. Baseball
6. Wild Gunman
7. Wrecking Crew
8. Tennis
9. 10-Yard Fight
10. Clu Clu Land
11. Golf
12. Gyromite
13. Hogan's Alley
14. Kung Fu
15. Soccer
16. Pinball
17. Stack-Up

All 17 of these launch titles featured artwork with a black background, pixelated 8-bit style font and simplistic artwork that reflected the appearance of the actual game play. It was a departure from the more detailed, realistic game artwork released for Atari and other competing systems.

By 1987 Nintendo had added 13 additional “black box” titles, making a total of 30.

  1. Donkey Kong
  2. Donkey Kong 3
  3. Donkey Kong Jr.
  4. Donkey Kong Jr. Math
  5. Gumshoe
  6. Popeye
  7. Pro Wrestling
  8. Slalom
  9. Mach Rider
  10. Urban Champion
  11. Volleyball
  12. Balloon Fight
  13. Mario Bros. (Arcade Classics)

How do you tell how early the copy of the NES release you have is? Well, there are several clues that indicate when the game may have been produced.

For starters, you can look at:

1) the Nintendo Seal of Quality, and

2) whether you have a 3 screw “REV-A” cartridge or a 5 screw cartridge.

Looking at the type of seal you have is your first clue as to the general timeframe the game was produced.

There are two variations of the Nintendo Seal of Quality (SOQ) that were released: the Round or Circle SOQ (pre- March 1989) and the Oval SOQ (post- March 1989).

From the beginning in late 1985 until March of 1989, all NES games published or licensed by Nintendo had a Circle Seal of Quality. The circle or round seal said, “This Seal Is Your Assurance That Nintendo Has Approved And Guaranteed The Quality Of This Product”.

After March of 1989, Nintendo used an Oval Seal of Quality with a white background. Off the bat, if you have an oval seal it is 1989 or later. The oval seal is much more concise with the simple statement of, “Official Nintendo Seal of Quality.”

About 3 and 5 Screw Cartridge Variations:

There are two variations of Nintendo game cartridge styles: the 5 screw (1985-1987) and the 3 screw (1988-1994, has “REV-A” on back label).

 If you have an oval Nintendo Seal of Quality, your cartridge will most likely be a 3 screw “REV-A" cartridge produced around March 1989 or later. You can narrow down the date of these later production cartridges by looking for a “TM” or an “R” next to the text “Nintendo Entertainment System” and at the bottom right of the Seal of Quality. 3 screw games with a “TM” were most likely produced between March 1989 and April 1990. 3 screw games with an “R” were most likely produced after April 1990, on the other hand.

Now, let’s say you have a circle seal of quality...Just how early of a print is the game?

Well, there are some clues we can look at to narrow down the production date. In particular, you can look at:

  1. The type of seal if the game is sealed (sticker vs. shrinkwrap)
  2. Whether or not the game box has a hangtab
  3. Whether or not there is an NES-GP code (on box)
  4. Whether or not there is an NES P ___ code (on box)
  5. Whether or not there is a TM (next to “Nintendo Entertainment System” and beneath the Seal of Quality)
  6. Whether or not there is a REV-A code (next to Seal of Quality and on back label of cartridge)

As you can see, there are several possible variations for these earlier prints. Let’s dive in here…

The earliest NES game releases were sealed with a sticker rather than shrinkwrap (which was used on later games). The very earliest games from Nintendo for NES were sealed with a black matte sticker. If you happen to own a sealed copy of one of these games, you are looking at a decent chunk of change, as these very early prints are sought after by collectors. After the matte sticker release, Nintendo switched things up and changed to a glossy sticker seal. Eventually leading to the shrinkwrap we know today.

You may notice that not all black box CIB (Complete in Box) games feature a hangtab, only some of them do. The earlier games have a hangtab which allowed retail stores to display the item as you see many products still are today. Sometime around September 1987, Nintendo stopped producing their game boxes with hangtabs.

If your box has a hangtab, you can narrow down the production date even further by looking for codes on the box. Boxes that were shrinkwrapped by Nintendo may or may not have a code on the back of the box, depending on the game’s production date. Boxes produced beginning in late 1986 have the code NES-GP, whereas boxes produced early in 1986 most likely will not have this code. If the code is present, it will be located in the lower right hand corner on the back of the box. In early 1987, things were changed up again with the boxes when Nintendo introduced a code on the back of the box in the upper left hand corner. This code was NES P ___. The end of this code varies based on the game. So 10-Yard Fight is NES P TY and Super Mario Bros. is NES P SM, for example.

In 1987, as the hangtabs went away, another change came about around the same time. Nintendo began to put a trademark symbol ™ next to the text “Nintendo Entertainment System” on the front of the box and cartridge. The “TM” was also present beneath the Nintendo Seal of Quality. The TM continued for some time until after Nintendo had switched to the oval Seal of Quality.

After hangtabs were a thing of the past and the TM symbol next to Nintendo Entertainment System had been introduced, Nintendo switched the way it produced its cartridges. Nintendo originally used a 5 screw cartridge design. Around the beginning of 1988, Nintendo began producing cartridges that only featured 3 screws with a Nintendo-specific security bit design. Up until this point, 5 screw cartridges could be easily opened by anyone with a flat head screwdriver. Now, things were a little bit more secure for Nintendo because the cartridges were more difficult to open. You couldn’t find the bit needed to do so at your local hardware store. These newer 3 screw cartridges were also most likely cheaper to produce because instead of 5 metal screws, they used only 3 metal screws and 2 plastic tabs to secure the cartridge. In general, plastic is cheaper to produce than metal! We suggest that this may have been a reason for the change from the 5 screw cartridge design to the 3 screw cartridge design.

Nintendo changed the way their game boxes were designed in order to denote that a 3 screw cartridge was inside. They did so by putting the text “REV-A” on the front of the box next to the Seal of Quality in the lower right corner on Circle/Round Seal of Quality boxes. So if you have a box with “REV-A” written on the front, you can tell that a 3 screw cartridge is inside! 3 Screw Cartridges can be identified by counting the screws and by looking for “REV-A” printed on the back label of the cartridge. Boxes that still had the circle Seal of Quality with the “REV-A” text present were most likely produced sometime between early 1988 and March 1989.

In March 1989, a big change occurred. Nintendo changed the design of its Seal of Quality from a Circle Seal with a transparent background to an Oval Seal with a white background. On the new seal, the amount of text was reduced, as we discussed earlier.

Games with the oval Seal of Quality have two variations:

Earlier prints with the oval Seal of Quality feature a “TM” next to the text “Nintendo Entertainment System” and also beneath the Seal of Quality. These prints were most likely produced between March 1989 and March or April 1990.

In the Spring of 1990, Nintendo’s games switched from featuring an unregistered trademark symbol “TM” to the registered trademark symbol “R” next to the text “Nintendo Entertainment System” and beneath the Seal of Quality. Thus, the latest prints of a Nintendo game feature an “R” enclosed inside a circle on the box and cartridge label. Prints with the “R” next to the text “Nintendo Entertainment System” and beneath the SOQ were produced in the spring of 1990 or later.

 Rough timeline:

 1st PRINT: Late 1985 – Test Markets:

  • MATTE BLACK STICKER TO SEAL BOX
  • Round Seal of Quality
  • 5 Screw Cartridge
  • No “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on cartridge label or front of box
  • Hangtab Present
  • No Codes (No NES-GP, No NES P ____)
  • No TM or R next to “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on front of box and cartridge label

*Note: This variation would be considered a “first print” for the following black box games: 10 Yard Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf, Gyromite, Hogan’s Allery, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Pinball, and Soccer.

2nd PRINT: Early 1986:

  • GLOSS BLACK STICKER TO SEAL BOX
  • Round/Circle Seal of Quality
  • 5 Screw Cartridge
  • No “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on front of box or back label of cartridge
  • Hangtab Present
  • No Codes (No NES-GP, No NES P ____)
  • No TM or R next to “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on front of box and cartridge label

*Note: This variation would be considered a “first print” for the following black box games: Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong Jr, Donkey Kong Jr Math, Gumshoe, Mach Rider, Mario Bros, Popeye, and Urban Champion.

3rd PRINT: Mid 1986:

  • SHRINKWRAP TO SEAL BOX
  • Round/Circle Seal of Quality
  • 5 Screw Cartridge
  • No “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on front of box or back label of cartridge
  • Hangtab Present
  • No Codes (No NES-GP, No NES P ____)
  • No TM or R next to “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on front of box and cartridge label

4th PRINT: Late 1986:

  • Shrinkwrap to Seal Box
  • Round/Circle Seal of Quality
  • 5 Screw Cartridge
  • No TM or R next to “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on front of box and cartridge label
  • Hangtab Present
  • No “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on front of box or back label of cartridge
  • Game Pak (NES-GP) CODE ADDED to back of box (lower right)

 5th PRINT: Early 1987:

  • Shrinkwrap to Seal Box
  • Round/Circle Seal of Quality
  • 5 Screw Cartridge
  • No “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on front of box or back label of cartridge
  • Hangtab Present
  • No TM or R next to “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on front of box and cartridge label
  • Pak (NES-GP) present in lower right corner of box
  • NES P ___ CODE ADDED to upper left corner on back of box

*Note: This is considered the “first print” for the latest black box releases that came out in the year 1987. These include Pro Wrestling, Volleyball, and Slalom.

6th PRINT: Mid 1987:

  • Shrinkwrap to Seal Box
  • Round/Circle Seal of Quality
  • 5 Screw Cartridge
  • No “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on cartridge label or front of box
  • Hangtab Present
  • Game Pak (NES-GP) present in lower right corner of box
  • NES P ___ code present in upper left corner on back of box
  • Unregistered Trademark Symbol “TM” ADDED to the right of “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on box front and cartridge label, also beneath Seal of Quality

 7th PRINT: Late 1987:

  • Shrinkwrap to Seal Box
  • Round/Circle Seal of Quality
  • 5 Screw Cartridge
  • No “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on cartridge label or front of box
  • NO HANGTAB ON BACK OF BOX
  • Game Pak (NES-GP) present in lower right corner of box
  • NES P ___ code present in upper left corner on back of box
  • Unregistered Trademark Symbol “TM” present to the right of “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on box front and cartridge label, also beneath Seal of Quality

8th PRINT: Early 1988 – March 1989:

  • Round/Circle Seal of Quality
  • 3 SCREW CARTRIDGE
  • “REV-A” text next to Seal of Quality on front of box and on cartridge back label
  • No Hangtab on back of box
  • Game Pak (NES-GP) present in lower right corner of box
  • NES P ___ code present in upper left corner on back of box
  • Unregistered Trademark Symbol “TM” present to the right of “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on box front and cartridge label, also beneath Seal of Quality

9th PRINT: March 1989 – April 1990:

  • OVAL SEAL OF QUALITY
  • 3 Screw Cartridge
  • “REV-A” text on back of cartridge label
  • No Hangtab on back of box
  • Game Pak (NES-GP) present in lower right corner of box
  • NES P ___ code present in upper left corner on back of box
  • Unregistered Trademark Symbol “TM” present to the right of “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on box front and cartridge label, also beneath Seal of Quality

10th PRINT, Variation #1: March 1990 – December 1994:

  • OVAL SEAL OF QUALITY
  • 3 Screw Cartridge
  • “REV-A” text on back of cartridge label
  • No Hangtab on back of box
  • Game Pak (NES-GP) present in lower right corner of box
  • NES P ___ code present in upper left corner on back of box
  • REGISTERED TRADEMARK “R” SYMBOL PRESENT to the right of “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on box front and cartridge label, also present beneath Seal of Quality
  • Box flap DOES NOT have a star on it beneath the code

10th PRINT, Variation #2: March 1990 – December 1994:

  • OVAL SEAL OF QUALITY
  • 3 Screw Cartridge
  • “REV-A” text on back of cartridge label
  • No Hangtab on back of box
  • Game Pak (NES-GP) present in lower right corner of box
  • NES P ___ code present in upper left corner on back of box
  • REGISTERED TRADEMARK “R” SYMBOL PRESENT to the right of “Nintendo Entertainment System” text on box front and cartridge label, also present beneath Seal of Quality
  • BOX FLAP HAS A STAR * ON IT beneath the code, indicating it was a Promotional Copy in the USA

 *A note about Box Flap Codes: Game codes seem to have been introduced to the box flaps of games sometime in the year 1987. Box flaps often feature a numeric code on them that seems to correspond to the date of production. Example: “81021” would translate to October 21, 1988. The first number indicates the year digit, which is followed by the month, then day. Please note that the earliest variations of black box games do not feature a code on the box flaps.

Dating the PCB Chips: Clues Inside the Cartridge

Say you don’t have a box to work with and you’re wondering when your game might have been produced. Or say you would like to confirm that the PCB inside your game is authentic and a likely match to the box that came with your game. Well, good news! You can peek at the game’s printed circuit board and find a date on its chips, most of the time.

The date format can vary by game.

Some chips use a YMW format, indicating the year, then month, then week of the month. For example, 5K2 corresponds to week 2 of October 1985. How did we get October? K is the 10th letter of the alphabet, and October is the 10th month of the year.

Other chips use a YW format, indicating the year then the week of the year. For example, 8549 would indicate the 49th week of 1985, approximately early December 1985.

As stated before, date codes on the chips can vary in format but most of the time they are there. Take a look at one of your favorite games if you get a minute and see what’s inside!

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