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Sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. goes for over $100,000 at auction

Do you have any old, preferably unopened console games lying around your house? If so, it’s probably a good idea to take care of them, as they could be worth a lot of money—as proved by a mint condition copy of Super Mario Bros. for the NES, which just sold for $100,150 at auction.

The 1985 product does have several elements that make it valuable. It comes in a box designed for the first run of NES games produced in America, which were sealed at the top using a black foil sticker with Nintendo’s logo emblazoned on it. They were only sold in cities such as New York and LA to test-launch the NES back in 1985 and 1986. As Kotaku notes, a NES console at the time was bundled with Duck Hunt and Gyromite, but not Super Mario Bros., which was sold separately.

Heritage Auctions, the company behind the transaction, said the sale “set a world record for a graded game.” Wata Games, which rates and certifies collectible video games, has given it a near-mint rating of 9.4, while the sticker has been given a seal rating of A++.

“In terms of rarity, popularity, and relevance to collectors, this game has it all,” said Wata Games President Deniz Kahn. “Mario is the most recognized fictional or nonfictional character in the world, more so than even Mickey Mouse.”

While the wording suggests there might have been more expensive games sold that weren’t professionally graded, it’s believed this is a record price for a video game sale. It was bought jointly by three collectors, who will share ownership.

This isn’t the first example of a Nintendo game selling for six figures. A copy of the rare Nintendo World Championships sold for $100,088 on eBay in 2014.

Source TechSpot

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