Box Reference
Red · 7 box variants
Large UPC (early) against small UPC (later) on the box back
Where the label stamp and chip codes sit on the cartridge
PCB date grid — read top-right (Jan) to bottom-left (Dec); the last un-punched dot is the month
Mask ROM date codes: YY year, WW week
Manual cover, early/mid against late print
Manual final page, 1996 / 1997 / 1998
Manual final page, 1999 / 2000
Japanese Releases

Box Contents

My box
Release
Red
ポケットモンスター 赤 · 27 Feb 1996
DMG-APAJ
Green
ポケットモンスター 緑 · 27 Feb 1996
DMG-APBJ
Blue
ポケットモンスター 青 · Dec 1996 mail order · 10 Oct 1999 retail
DMG-APEJ
Yellow
ポケットモンスター ピカチュウ · 12 Sep 1998
DMG-APSJ
Gold
ポケットモンスター 金 · 21 Nov 1999
DMG-AAUJ
Silver
ポケットモンスター 銀 · 21 Nov 1999
DMG-AAXJ
Crystal
ポケットモンスター クリスタル · 14 Dec 2000
CGB-BXTJ
Which box do you have
Pre-order production, large UPC
1996, date codes 9604–9608
stamp 22
Documented
Launch production, small UPC
1996, date codes 9608–96XX
stamp 22
Documented
Small UPC, second 1996 run
1996, date codes 96XX
stamp 00 / 20
Documented
Small UPC, revised cart
1996–1997, date codes 96XX–97XX
stamp XXA
Best guess
Small UPC, 1997–98 run
1997–1998, date codes 97XX–98XX
stamp XXA
Best guess
Small UPC, 1998–99 run
1998–1999, date codes 98XX–99XX
stamp XXA
Documented
Small UPC, final run
1999 onward, date codes 99XX+
stamp XXA / XXM
Documented
Select a box to see its contents

Red, Green and Blue follow the variant guides at afew.games. Yellow, Gold, Silver and Crystal have no published box survey — those rows lean on cartridge and ROM evidence instead, and leaflet lists there are inference unless a photographed copy confirms them. Pick a box above to save changes.