The Legend of Zelda NES prototype copy being auctioned for $150K

If the world's largest game collection was too rich for your blood, consider this US prototype of The Legend of Zelda, currently auctioning for $150,000 on eBay. That's much more acceptable than the $1.32 million someone blew on aforementioned game collection, right?

eBay seller "tjcurtin1" is currently trying to unload a gold prototype cartridge of The Legend of Zelda, dated February 23, 1987. While this baby has been opened already, the seller is also throwing in a sealed copy of the retail release.

The guy is a collector of such goods himself, and he considers this item the crown jewel of his undoubtedly extensive collection. Here's what he has to say about the prototype:

This is a complete version to my knowledge and as far as I know does not differ from the released version.  The simple label reads "HP NOA 2-23-87 Legend of Zelda." The actual release of the game was August 22nd 1987.  I can only speculate that the 2-23-87 refers to the date they completed this prototype and being so close to launch is why there are no differences from the released version.  Again I'm speculating.  If you google NES Zelda Proto you will see the history of this particular cart.  I will be happy to add pics, answer questions (to the best of my ability) and field offers for this title.

As tjcurtin1 points out, he does have an admirable seller rating on eBay, and the guy's apparently been selling games through the auction site for over ten years. So we're pretty sure he's legit, but do we think submitting a bid for this is a good idea? Well, who are we to judge what you do with your money. Just please make sure you have enough left over to pay the rent/mortgage.