Which US Zelda II gold version came out first: the one that says "1985" on the back, or the one that doesn't?

[Zap!]

I'm going to obviously guess the 1985 one, but I want to be certain. Both are pretty common, and both say "REV-A" and "NES-ZL871104." I know that the "1985" means a non-game copyright and doesn't mean the year the game was made itself, as many NES games had that on the back. Perhaps the "1985" caused too much confusion, and they took it off in later years?

 

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Zap!

[Tanooki]

I got it when it first came out, it wasn't like a year or two later, it does not say 1985, so maybe they were just interchangeable and used some old backs/labels Zelda 1 had.

[Zap!]

4 hours ago, Tanooki said:

I got it when it first came out, it wasn't like a year or two later, it does not say 1985, so maybe they were just interchangeable and used some old backs/labels Zelda 1 had.

Hmm, so you're certain beyond a reasonable doubt that you got yours in 1988? If that's the case, perhaps they did indeed use some old backs. Very interesting, thanks!

[Tanooki]

Yeah I'm very certain.  I remember that one was gifted the year it supposedly came out, I never bought it, it was given and I didn't wait a year (89 Christmas) to get it.  Just like I know my Zelda is real, I had more than half the money, kid brother had the rest, we went to Best Products the day it came out, sat in the car, waited for it to open and got one right out of the box basically.  It's weird stuff I can date and remember that's useless, but it comes to actual historical dates, times, names... things get fuzzy. :\

[+Psionic]

The earlier version would be the one without the 1985 date.  That was added to all the back labels circa '89, right around the same time they switched from the black round Nintendo Seal of Quality to the white oval one.  Examining a selection of random NES cartridges will demonstrate this.

 

In regards to these two carts specifically, you can always open them up and check the date codes on the chips to be sure.

[Zap!]

@Tanooki @Psionic Thanks for the info guys! The carts in the picture aren't mine. The reason I'm asking is because I was on the market to buy one again, and I wanted it to be the earliest version, since I got the game for Christmas, 1988. Sometime in the 90's, I lent the game out and never got it back. Luckily, I still have the box and instructions though.

 

I ordered one late last night on eBay. Thanks again.

[Tanooki]

5 hours ago, Zap! said:

@Tanooki @Psionic Thanks for the info guys! The carts in the picture aren't mine. The reason I'm asking is because I was on the market to buy one again, and I wanted it to be the earliest version, since I got the game for Christmas, 1988. Sometime in the 90's, I lent the game out and never got it back. Luckily, I still have the box and instructions though.

 

I ordered one late last night on eBay. Thanks again.

I tried to do that earlier this year when I could use light guns again, very specifically wanted Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley original run, FC converter inside and manuals.  The dude wasn't wholly honest, Hogan's wasn't but the rest was right.  About a month ago found that cart in town convertor and all for a couple dollars.