An unopened copy of a 1987 cult-classic video game that a Nevada man found in the attic of his childhood home is expected to sell for up to $10,000 at an online auction.

The boxed game cartridge of Nintendo�s �Kid Icarus� was still in the bag with the receipt for $38.45 from J.C. Penney�s catalog department three decades earlier.

Scott Amos of Reno told the Reno Gazette Journal he initially thought it might be worth a couple hundred dollars.

But Valarie McLeckie, video game consignment director at Heritage Auctions, says it�s one of the hardest Nintendo titles to find in sealed condition. She says there are fewer than 10 in the hands of vintage game collectors.

�To find a sealed copy �in the wild,� so to speak, not to mention one in such a nice condition and one with such transparent provenance, is both an unusual and rather historic occurrence,� she said. �We feel that the provenance will add a significant premium for serious collectors.�

Wata Games, a video game grading service, gave Amos� copy a rating of 8.0 on a 10-point scale.

Amos said no one in the family has a recollection of purchasing the game, but the Dec. 8, 1988, purchase date hints it may have been intended as a Christmas present.

�I can remember the game. My neighbor down the street had it. I remember it being hard, and I was never that good of a gamer guy,� he said. �All the family has been trying to come up with a hypothesis … (My mom) thinks she put it there and never got it back out, and then it ended up in the attic.�

The game, based loosely on Greek mythology, follows a cupid-like protagonist named Pit attempting to rescue Palutena, the goddess of light, who is imprisoned by the evil Medusa.

�Get ready for the action and adventure of Greek Mythology translated to the Video Age,� the game�s packaging says. �Will you survive to restore Palutena�s light and return it to �Angel Land�? Only you know.�

The online auction closes Thursday.

If the sale goes as expected, it could net Amos and his family $10,000. They�re planning to have some fun with it.

�I have an older sister, too. We�re splitting (the proceeds) 50-50,� Amos said. �We�re going to do a Disney World vacation next month.�

(AP)