It is important to be specific when referring to the different versions of Ocarina of Time. In keeping with the established Zelda tradition, pre-ordered copies of Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 featured "gold" cartridges. Also, the game's box was made of sturdy plastic instead of cardboard and exhibited the boxed phrase "Collector's Edition." Gold "carts" were the first American release of Ocarina and were only offered in a limited number; as such, they are sought after and prized by some.
The game also released in different software versions. All of the gold cartridge games that came out in November of 1998 are version 1.0, and some grey cartridges released soon after are also version 1.0. Version 1.1 grey cartridges began to be released in early 1999, in which Nintendo fixed a number of bugs and glitches from the first version. This was followed by version 1.2.
The most notable difference between version 1.0 and the following versions is that version 1.0 contains a trick that allows one to play the game without Link's sword, which in turn allows one to use any item on Epona. Version 1.1 is similar to version 1.0 except you cannot perform the above trick (there is a different known method that works on all versions, including GameCube ones). Ganon's blood at the end of the game appears red in versions 1.0 and 1.1, but was changed to green in version 1.2. Finally, the original theme for the Fire Temple, similar to an Islamic prayer chant, was replaced in version 1.2 with a new theme.
In 2002, Ocarina of Time was re-released as a bonus disc on the Nintendo GameCube for those who pre-ordered The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The bonus disc also included the Ocarina of Time Master Quest, a previously unreleased version of Ocarina of Time with redesigned dungeons and supposedly greater difficulty. Later that year it was again reissued (without the Master Quest add-on) on The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition as part of a limited-time promotion. This disc also included The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. In these GameCube re-releases, Nintendo changed the crescent moon and star symbol of the Gerudo to an original design.
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