Goldin Lists PSA-Verified 1998 Pokémon Red Prototype for Auction

A prototype cartridge of Pokémon Red for the Nintendo Game Boy has entered the auction market with an initial bid of $25,000. The listing, managed by Goldin, features a development unit dated to 1998. As of October 23, 2026, one bidder has placed a bid on the item, which remains open for several more days.

Experts at PSA authenticated the physical device but could not perform a complete data read of the internal chip. They successfully read the first 32KB of content, a result PSA termed "technically unique." The authentication report states that the readable game data is "completely identical" to the U.S. retail version. PSA expressed confidence that the unreadable portions of the file match the standard release.

The report identified two discrepancies in the ROM's header data that do not affect gameplay. One byte at offset 0x014C is set to 55 instead of the expected 00, which denotes the Mask ROM version. This change alters the calculated header checksum at offset 0x014D, which reads CB rather than 20.

The cartridge bears a sticker labeled DMB-MBC-16M-FLASH and the part number DMG-(F)KGDB-01. The report suggests DMB refers to Dot Matrix Game, the system's internal codename, while MBC stands for Memory Bank Controller. This custom chip allowed games to exceed the Game Boy's standard 32KB ROM limit. The 16M designation likely indicates 16 megabits of flash-writable memory. The unit is physically longer than a standard retail cartridge.

The auction description labels the board as "previously undocumented," though the part number appears in the Rare Gaming Dump wiki. That wiki lists the same number for a 2000 development cartridge using a 16-megabit Sharp flash chip. Images in the Goldin listing show a design nearly identical to the wiki entry, which features a sticker reading DMG-MBC3-16M-FLASH.

Pokémon Red, launched alongside Green and Blue in the 1990s, helped establish the global franchise. Red and Blue combined have sold more than 31 million copies. A reader comment on the original report suggested this specific copy is a master version that functions normally. The commenter also noted that a Nintendo employee named Pal rocks sold a batch of demo cartridges in 2015 that had been saved from destruction, though these details remain unverified.

The auction will conclude in the coming days. The current bidder holds the lead at $25,000, but additional bids may raise the final price before the listing closes.