CGC Has a New Label for All Nintendo/Amada Menko!
I wanted to bring this to the attention of the Non-Sports & Menko Card Industry that CGC has changed how the label reads on "All" Nintendo Menko as of March of 2026. Some of you may have already noticed this on CGC's website. This is important because it changes how the label will read on Mario's rookie card. CGC has good reasoning behind this difficult change. As I have mentioned before, neither Amada or Nintendo kept records of any kind. Since CGC has no "official" records to go by for reference, they have decided to give the Nintendo Menko labels the "c." or Circa designation. They chose the date 1985 because there was such a big Menko printing boom once Super Mario Bros came out for the NES. CGC defines "Circa" as meaning "approximately" or "around." The Circa designation is also commonly understood in the trading card Industry as being 5 yrs before or after the designated date. The proper interpretation of CGC's new label as c. 1985 would mean, approximately 5 yrs before or after 1985. This covers all the Amada Menko production years for Nintendo.
It is unfortunate in the sense that Mario's rookie card will have a label that reads c. 1985, but this doesn't mean it was made in 1985. It just means since CGC lacks official documents to back up their claim of dating it 1981, means they had to give it the designation of c. 1985, which covers all years from 81-86. From CGC's point of view, since they can't give the exact date due to lack of original documentation, the c. 1985 is the proper way to label Nintendo Menko. By the label reading this way, CGC knows it covers the years we know that Amada operated & made Menko for Nintendo from 1981-1986...a historical fact. The Circa designation covers Amada's entire span they made Menko for Nintendo.
The 1981 Donkey Kong Menko is still Mario's Rookie Card! It was still made in 1981! Don't forget. CGC graded Mario's Rookie for almost 2 1/2 years with a date of 1981. But because there is no original documentation to prove it, CGC has decided to change the label to c. 1985 to cover all basis.
Mario Rookie Card sales have remained Very High, even after the CGC label change. The Non-Sports & Menko Card Industry didn't even blink an eye at this change. The Industry has already deemed the 1981 Donkey Kong Menko as Mario's Rookie Card. Click the link below to see the Mario Rookie Card Sales Tracker.
https://mariomenko.com/1981-mario-rookie-sales
