Solomon's Key PROTO Found today

HIGHTOWER26HIGHTOWER26
in Collector's Corner

I found this game today at a flea Market.  I bought it from a dealer who didn't know what it was but I was pretty sure it was legit.  I noticed it was a 5 screw back, (forgot my copy at home was also a 5 screw back)  and had no sticker on the back.  Well when I got home I took the game apart to look at the board  and noticed it had a 60 to 72 pin connector and was pretty sure It was legit.  I opened my Copy of Solomen's Key and it is a regular short card w/ no pin connector .  I tried to start the game but I cant get it to come on.  I cleaned it good and still no luck in my top loader or toaster.  Any body seen this proto before?  Any suggestions to bring up the game?  any way to verify its authenticity?

Thanks,

WJ

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Comments

  • GamefreakGamefreak
    thats sweet!! You know you've had a good day of hunting when you come home with a proto! Think I may have to go out to that flea market and see what else our buddy has.
  • Mr. GimmickMr. Gimmick
    oooooo man Dain's gonna be all over this
  • HIGHTOWER26HIGHTOWER26
    Yeah i know Dain is a pretty Big Solomon's Key fan.
  • PenguinPenguin
    That is beautiful, care to share how much you paid for it? I'm sure it was a steal.
  • HIGHTOWER26HIGHTOWER26
    Well I almost broke my rule for shopping at a Flea Market. The guy told me $6 I told him that I only had 3 one dollar bills and a 20 (which was true) so he took my $20 and gave me back $15 dollars in change. I never spend more than $5 for a loose game at a flea market. (Exceptions made In certain situations)
  • VileRedFalconVileRedFalcon
    Wow, nice find man. It's amazing how these things are still turning up in the wild.
  • HIGHTOWER26HIGHTOWER26
    been doing a little research about this Proto.... Its not the only one 2 more are known to exist. Info taken from NGD's website the Warp zone. Pics are there ae well, look almost identical to my pics. Curious as to: How much Kap paid for his?
  • MartonMarton
    Very nice find, just bad it's doesn't work.
  • projectingstarsprojectingstars
    Wow man that is an extremely sweet find!
  • XedXed
    wow you dont see that every day image
  • WidarWidar
    That's a steal! Congrats!
  • DainDain
    Ha, yeah, if you ever wanted to trade/sell it, I'd be interested, even if it doesn't work. You could say I'm a fan of Solomon's Key.
  • HIGHTOWER26HIGHTOWER26
    dain, I'll keep that in mind to say you have some cool shiiiit to trade would be a little bit of an understatement.
  • bunnyboybunnyboy
    Even if its not working you should have it backed up. The graphics could still be good (and different) or something else could be wrong with the board but the EPROMs still work.
  • dangevindangevin
    It's fun for Dain that the label is a little bit graphical, so many protos are just plain paper, or masking tape "labels." If it doesn't work, at least it will look good on display in his Room of Doom image



    Congrats on your find, one in a million!
  • PenguinPenguin
    The famicom converter could be in backwards, so you might want to try flipping it around too.
  • dr.robbiedr.robbie
    very nice find man. I always wanted a proto, especially finding one like that. the label does indeed add to it's coolness.



    correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I've read before that some protos go bad over time. Something gets corrupted or something? Not 100% sure on this, but I thought I've read it somewhere. Sure others here would know much more about that than I would.
  • Mr. GimmickMr. Gimmick
    YEah over time protos, test carts, and NWC's slowly erase themselves. Takes about 20+ years to fully erase, but doesnt look like this has been confirmed
  • DreamTRDreamTR
    I have that exact proto as well. I think my label might be a bit cleaner though.



    I also have a SOlomon's Key 2 proto, and a Fire and Ice proto...

    and about that EPROM erasing business, don't buy into it completely. Arcade boards run on EPROMS and yes, some do get graphical errors, but 30 years later, people are still using the same boards with the same original stuff......and arcade boards have infinitely more EPROMS to deal with....
  • removed-07-06-2016removed-07-06-2016
    Congrats dude, that's a helluva a find! Like others have mentioned, I'd do whatever I could to try and get it dumped.
  • bunnyboybunnyboy
    All EPROMs will die, its simple (aka confusing) physics. 20-50 years is the expected lifetime before bitrot starts to happen. That doesn't mean the chip will one day be fully erased, just that random bits will start to flip. If that happens in graphics, or unused space you may never notice. If it happens in code space the game might crash, or part of a random level will be changed, or you might be invincible! There may already be affected NWC carts but if nobody plays or dumps them then nobody will find out. Prototypes are expected to be different so it is important to dump them asap so the differences are on purpose, instead of from corruption.

  • dangevindangevin
     Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
  • bunnyboybunnyboy
    I should make a standard post so I can just copy/paste image
  • natasnatas
    Nice find for sure.
  • stoutgurustoutguru
    Nice find image
  • i2a2n2i2a2n2
    wtg
  • TheFrisbeeTheFrisbee
    Sweet find dude. The label art is soo cool, most the time they are pretty lame.
  • HIGHTOWER26HIGHTOWER26
    How do I get it dumped? Where would I go to? sorry just dont have any idea on how to do this.
  • jajajajajaja
    That is a great find i must say! image And a great price too! image Congratulations with this prototype find, HIGHTOWER26! image
  • bunnyboybunnyboy
    Originally posted by: HIGHTOWER26

    How do I get it dumped? Where would I go to? sorry just dont have any idea on how to do this.

    Need to send it to someone with a CopyNES system.  Will take them a minute to dump it and send you the .nes file.  No soldering is needed so the cart isn't in danger.  Obviously postage will cost money but knowing it is different (and possibly fixing it) would make it more valuable.
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