An unopened copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System has just sold for $114,000 (around £88,000), smashing the record for a single game.
The sealed copy in A+ graded condition, dating back to the game’s release in 1985, was shifted for the almighty sum by specialist auctioneer Heritage on Friday. The identity of the winning bidder is unknown.
The copy of the game earned a 9.4-rating (the highest possible is 10) from the WATA organisation set-up to aid collectors and dealers. According to the listing (via The Verge) it is the “Highest Graded Sealed Hangtab Super Mario Bros. Ever Offered.”
A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. just sold at auction for $114,000, which is a new record for the sale of a single game. Bet the owners of the $100,000 one, which is an earlier printing, feel great today. pic.twitter.com/lVdcla8d19
— Chris Kohler (@kobunheat) July 10, 2020
That cardboard hangtag is the key to this record price, it seems, due to the vintage feel it offers. Such was the fact evolving nature of the console packaging back then, it appears this edition of the game was only available on shelves for a few months.
The listing reads: “There are four sub-variants of the plastic sealed cardboard hangtab box (this particular copy of Super Mario Bros. being the “3 Code” variant) that were produced within the span of one year. Each sub-variant of the cardboard hangtab black box, produced within that timeframe, had a production period of just a few months; a drop in the bucket compared to the title’s overall production run.”
“In short, a cardboard hangtab copy of any early Nintendo Entertainment System game brings a certain air of “vintage” unrivalled by its successors.”
The sale smashes the previous world record of £100,150 set by a copy of the same game back in January 2019. That copy had the same 9.4 Wata rating and even included the NES Sticker Seal. It was an earlier printing too, according to the Kotaku journalist Chris Kohler, meaning the owner may have got somewhat of a bargain.
How much do you think your old NES game collection is worth down at your local CeX outlet? Thinking of getting your collection graded? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.