Rare Donkey Kong Country SNES Cartridge Featured on Antiques Roadshow, Nostalgia Hits Hard

When tuning into PBS’s classic show Antiques Roadshow, I usually expect to see vintage items like century-old pans and chairs. So, I was taken aback to see a SNES cartridge for Donkey Kong Country featured in the latest episode.

On March 30, PBS kicked off the 30th season of Antiques Roadshow. As with previous episodes, this one showcased individuals bringing in various items for an expert appraisal, who then provides an estimated value based on the item’s age, condition, and rarity. During this episode, a woman presented not a fancy lamp or an old quilt, but a slightly worn SNES Donkey Kong Country cartridge adorned with a Hollywood Video sticker.

The woman explained that this isn’t your typical DK SNES cartridge. It starts on the first level and allows for about five minutes of play before it halts. She’s owned it for over 15 years and recalled that a game collector offered her $1,000 for it back in 2012, prompting her to realize it might be worth keeping. Appraiser Jordan Weiss, who shared that he played the game in his youth, revealed that this was a competition cartridge made for the 1995 Blockbuster Championship, likely sold through Nintendo Power after the event. It’s estimated that only around 2,500 of these DK Country competition carts exist, with most already in the hands of collectors, making this a rare find.

One of the highlights was when the appraiser pointed out the Hollywood Video sticker as if it were a significant artifact from history. Here’s how that exchange went:

Weiss: As you can see, this cartridge has Hollywood Video stickers on it.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: Uh, which is interesting. And I wasn’t able to find any record of the competitions being done at Hollywood Video. The 1995 competition was a Blockbuster competition. A major competitor, or the major competitor of Hollywood Video.

He also inquired about the initials on the cartridge, which turned out to be the owner’s way of keeping track of it among her friend’s games.

According to Weiss, this unique Donkey Kong Country SNES cartridge could sell for around $2,000 to $4,000 at auction. Welcome to the age where your beloved games are old enough to require an expert appraisal on Antiques Roadshow. Time really does have a way of sneaking up on us.