Before sites like TheGamer, news, guides, and tips came once a month in hobby magazines, and for lots of players in the late ’80s and early ’90s, that magazine was Nintendo Power. Nintendo of America’s in-house publication kept readers apprised of all the upcoming releases, walkthroughs, cheat codes, and more.
Nowadays, old issues of Nintendo Power are a relic of days gone by. A few, though, have moderate collector value, provided that they’re in pristine condition with the included poster intact. Older volumes tend to be more valuable, but you might find some later issues have a surprising price tag attached as well!
All values are approximate, based on data frompricecharting.comon the day this list was written. All prices are subject to change.
10Volume 264: Pokémon Black & White
February 2011, $34.50
9Volume 11: Super Mario Bros 3
March/April 1990, $43
Mario 3was arguably the biggest launch in the entire lifespan of the NES, so it’s no surprise that the game got its own cover on Nintendo Power. Volume 11 is still a very early issue; that, coupled with the iconic game on its cover, make it an important piece of any NP fan’s collection.
Volume 11 included a booklet called the Pak Source, which was a complete listing of all NES games to date. The Pak Source is a collector’s item on its own, but ideally you want to find a copy of NP11 whose booklet has never been removed.
8Volume 114: Ocarina Of Time
November 1998, $45.50
1998 was a big year for Nintendo fans. Pokémon was released to the rest of the world after two years as a Japanese exclusive, andThe Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Timelaunched on the N64, quickly becoming lauded as one of the greatest games of all time. The November issue of Nintendo Power that year had a lot to cover, and was thelargest volume of the magazine to date at the time.
Collectors should be sure that their copy includes theinserted mini-magazine Pokémon Power, which continued NP’s ongoing coverage blitz of the new franchise. This issue also containedpreviews of the infamously bad Superman 64, proving that they weren’t all winners in 1998.
7Volume 6: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
May/June 1989, $50
The originalTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgame for the NES is notorious for its difficulty, so maybe the ten-page guide included in this issue is just what you need to finally beat it. Okay, it will probably take more than that, but if you’re a Turtles fan, a Nintendo fan, or both, this cover featuring the Heroes On A Half-Shell is a great addition to your collection.
NP6 also featured areview of Ninja Gaiden 2and the first Power Awards, which let fans vote on a number of categories,includingBest Game Overall.The inaugural winner wasZelda 2.
6Volume 13: Super Mario Bros 3 Strategy Guide
June 1990, $55
The other strategy guides were Volume 15 (Ninja Gaiden 2), Volume 17 (Final Fantasy) and Volume 19 (4-Player Extra, which covered all the NES’s four-player offerings likePlay Action Football).
5Volume 85: Super Mario 64
June 1996, $58
The Nintendo 64 and its new Mario adventure were hotly anticipated in 1996, but nobody could have really predicted just how beloved that game would become as the years rolled on. While a sealed copy of the cartridge itself is the real find, die-hard fans can get a copy of the NP issue featuring Mario’s first true 3D outing for comparatively cheap.
It wasn’t justSuper Mario 64,either. NP85 gave readers an in-depth look at the upcoming console and its full launch lineup, which hit shelves that very month in Japan but didn’t arrive in North America until September, three months later.
4Volume 17: Final Fantasy Strategy Guide
October 1990, $80
While the originalFinal Fantasycertainly merited a full strategy guide, it didn’t have the same broad appeal among Nintendo Power readers as platformers like Mario or Ninja Gaiden did in 1990. The game wasn’t for everyone, so players were less likely to keep NP17 lying around. As a result, it’s a bit rarer than the other strategy guide issues, while the franchise’s soaring popularity since those old days has made it more sought-after.
3Volume 285: New Super Mario Bros U
December 2012, $120.75
Nintendo Power’s final issue was printed after just over a 24-year run. Its last cover paid tribute to the first, replicating the original volume’s cover with graphics from the upcomingNew Super Mario Bros U. It also had a goal flag running along theentire right edge of the cover, signaling the end of the legendary publication.
2Volume 1: Super Mario Bros 2
July/August 1988, $160
Naturally, the very first issue is a big find for collectors. Graded copies in particular can shoot up into the thousands, but ataround $160, a decent ungraded copy is a great piece for a Nintendo fan’s collection.
1Volume 173: Star Wars Rebel Strike
November 2003, $215
What could possibly drive an issue of Nintendo Power’s value higher than the original volume? Volume 173 isn’t a collector’s issue, nor is the game featured on the cover particularly memorable. Instead, NP173 is treasured for the prize that it was shipped with; valuableEon Cardsfor the Game Boy Advance e-Reader.
These Eon Cards allow you to access the Southern Island inPokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.There were a few other ways to get an Eon Ticket in-game, but they all required going to in-person events; for some players, getting the cards in the November 2003 issue of Nintendo Power was the only option.
These limited cards are even rare now, more than twenty years on, and they drive the value of this issue of Nintendo Power. If you’re planning to buy a copy,make sure the Eon Cards are intact.
