Sonic the Hedgehog — Genesis 1991 — NTSC-U

GENESIS · 1988–1997

Archive · 12 screens

Sonic the Hedgehog

Genesis · 1991 · NTSC-U · Platformer

Floor

—

no live data

Live

sealed listings

Range

€800–€3,500

editorial band

Recent

€1,720

no verified comp

View listings ↓Add to Shelf Watch

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Activity feed · live

Activity feed builds as the eBay snapshot history accumulates and comp data flows in. First events surface within hours of a fresh cache cycle; full velocity within seven days.

Pulse · Sealed

Floor—

Volume—

Sellers—

7-day trendBuildingHistory accumulates after each fresh eBay refresh

Available now

Live listings

Active tier · Sealed. Aggregated from eBay US. Refreshes every 6 hours.

Market depth

What it's actually worth

The three-tier spread, verified comparable sales, and where this title sits inside its cohort. Live snapshot lives above in Pulse; this is the time-and-context layer.

Three-tier spread · log scale

The same game at three prices — Loose, CIB, and Sealed on one ruler. The scale is logarithmic: each gridline step is 10×, so the distance between bars shows the size of the jump between tiers.

€10

€100

€1k

Sealed€1,850

Complete in Box€72

Loose€14

Premium structure

Sealed vs CIB25.7×

CIB vs Loose5.1×

Sealed vs Loose132×

Verified comparable sales · by tier

Sealed · 2 sales

€1,350Median

€1,720WATA 9.4 A+
2026-05-03
Heritage Auctions
€980WATA 9.0 A
2026-04-18
Heritage Auctions

Complete in Box · 1 sale

€68Median

€68HANGTAB FINE
2026-05-10
eBay

Loose · 1 sale

€13Median

€13HANGTAB VERY GOOD
2026-05-11
eBay

Cohort context · sealed floor vs. cohort medians

vs. console cohort

Same console, same tier

+790%above cohort median

Cohort median €90 · 154 titles

vs. era cohort

Same console, year ±2

+770%above cohort median

Cohort median €92 · 197 titles

vs. publisher cohort

Same console + publisher

+861%above cohort median

Cohort median €83 · 31 titles

Sealed · price history

€1,850▲ 0% since 7 Jun

○ 2 verified sold comps · line = daily price snapshot

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Why this title

Why collectors care

The cultural context, the production lineage, the place this artifact holds in its console's history.

eleased June 1991 for the Sega Genesis, Sonic the Hedgehog defined Sega's 90s identity and gave the medium one of its most enduring mascots. The original cartridge release predates the Genesis pack-in bundle that replaced Altered Beast as the system's flagship in mid-1991.

Sonic 1 sits at the apex of Genesis collecting alongside Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage. The standalone retail first print is structurally distinct from the Not-For-Resale pack-in variant that shipped with millions of Genesis consoles. PAL Mega Drive and Japanese Mega Drive editions are separate regional artifacts. Sega's perpetual sequel and movie pipeline keeps mainstream attention compounding.

SegaSonic Team1991Platformer

Gallery · 18 images · click to expand

Released alongside · 1990–1992

Sealed €341.47

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

1992

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

James Pond 2: Codename - RoboCod

1991

Sealed €142.17

Flashback: The Quest for Identity

Hardware specimen

Print run (est.): ~15,000,000 cartridges (lifetime, all regions)
WATA pop (featured): Pop 198 at 9.4 A+ (May 2026, US NTSC standalone)
First print documented: Yes
UPC: 010086010091
Release date: 1991-06-23
Regional / language names: STH · Sonic 1 · Sonic The Hedgehog

Authentication

Is what you're holding real

Documented variants, identifying marks, and the print-vs-reprint discriminator. Pick a variant to focus the walkthrough; the Companion can talk you through your own copy.

Documented variants · 2

First print variant

Retail Standalone First Print

The standalone 1991 retail release with full box, manual, and Sega cardboard sleeve. The canonical Sonic 1 collector target.

Currently focused→

Production variant

Not-For-Resale Pack-In

Pack-in version bundled with Genesis consoles starting late 1991 (replacing Altered Beast as the system pack-in). 'Not For Resale' stamp on box. Structurally rarer in sealed grade than retail.

Focus walkthrough→

Focused walkthrough

Retail Standalone First Print

The standalone 1991 retail release with full box, manual, and Sega cardboard sleeve. The canonical Sonic 1 collector target.

Universal indicators

01'SEGA GENESIS' wordmark on box (US NTSC) — distinguishes from PAL/JP Mega Drive variants.
02No 'Sega Classics' or budget-reprint banner — original 1991 release.First print indicator

Sealed indicators

01No 'Not For Resale' stamp on box back — standalone retail variant.First print indicator

Complete in Box indicators

No documented marks for this tier yet.

Loose indicators

01Cartridge label uses original Sonic running pose artwork — first-print and standard retail share this.
02ROM revision: bug-fixed scrolling-stars special-stage variant (Rev 00 / Rev 01 ID on label).First print indicator

Spotted a variant we missed, a print signal we overlooked, or an authentication trap collectors should know about? Contributing a photo or correction earns points toward store credit.

How contributions work→

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Adjacent

Where else this lives

Five cuts of what surrounds this title — switch the axis to drill into the same-console catalog, the series, the era, the publisher, or ask the Companion for a personal recommendation.

All Genesis titles→

Same console Same series Same era Same publisher

Sealed €341.47

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Genesis · 1992

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

James Pond 2: Codename - RoboCod